Meant To Be
by SpicyPepper-SweetSugar
Summary: Caroline's cousin? Check. Dead parents? Check. New to town? Check. A vampire falls in love with me? Check. Do I love the vampire back? Not filled in yet . Is my life complicated? Yes!/ Rated T just to be sure. DAMON/OC
1. Prologue

__**A/N: Hi everyone! This is actually my first Fanfic for The Vampire Diaries an I LOVE that show! It's one of my favorite shows on TV right now (where I'm living xD). I wanted to do a preview to a longer story that I'm writing for TVD. So here it is. More info about that at the end of the story! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I Own NOTHING! If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction would I! =/**

**ADDED NOTE: This prologue has been rewritten due to the fact that the spelling was originally crappy and the general topic was short cut. I hope you like it better this way! ;)**

* * *

I looked Caroline in the eyes. We had just been together again.

"We really should break up," I told her smirking. She gave me a confused look.

"Why Damon? Don't you like me anymore?" she asked me. I gave her _my look_ and raised my eyebrows. Min compulsion really made it easy for me to control her.

"You don't need to know why. We'll just be friends from now on," I told her indifferently, seeing her pupils dilate as I compelled her.

She nodded. "You're right. Let's just be friends." Standing up, she walked over to the chair where her clothes were. Slowly, she began putting them on, not even bothering to cover herself from me.

"Could you just drive me home?" she asked, finally turning around to look at me. Sometimes I wondered why I didn't kill her the second I got bored with her. Truthfully, however, her mother is the sheriff and for the moment, I didn't need a vampire hunting woman with a gun on my back.

"Fine," I sighed. "This time. But I won't be your little driver," I told her, pulling on my own clothes quickly. I grabbed my leather jacket and walked outside, not even bothering to wait up for her. Caroline hurried after me and sat down in the front passenger seat. The roof was up since it was raining. As I drove towards Caroline's house, I had a strange feeling in my gut. There was something different about Mystic Falls this night. Something was new. I didn't know what. I decided to ask Caroline, even though she might not know what it was. It couldn't hurt, right?

"Hey, has something new happened here in Mystic Falls?" I asked her.

"Well yeah, kind of," she shrugged.

I eyed her from the side. "What?" I pressed. My God was she annoying. Who says something like that and doesn't continue speaking?

"My cousin has moved here. Her mom, my aunt, got hit by a drunk driver and my mom took her in."

That's when I felt it. I felt sorry for her. For Caroline's cousin, I mean. I never felt sorry for anyone I didn't know- Actually, scratch that; I _never _felt sorry for _anyone_. Why would I feel sorry for someone I had never even met?

"Did her mom die?" I asked. _Of course she did_, my mind was telling me, why else would they _take her in_?

"Yes," Caroline replied sadly. The weird thing is that my cousin didn't cry that much. She got over it and accepted her mom's death almost instantly."

"Really?" I frowned, even though I was slightly amused by the fact that she could get over death so quickly. Any other human would break down completely... Who was this girl?

"Yeah I know. Weird right?" Caroline said. "I would cry my eyes out if someone close to me died. And I did, just now, when my Aunt passed away."

I just nodded and pretended to listen to her. I didn't have time for her stupid storytelling. I wanted to meet this new girl and get to know her. How could she so easily get over the death of her mother? Had she always been like that? Somewhere inside of me, I found myself thinking of the possibility of the girl being a vampire, who had turned off her emotions, but I doubted it, considering the fact that her aunt, Caroline's mother, was a vampire hunter.

"We're here," I interrupted Caroline's talking. She nodded and stepped out of the car. I waved at Caroline before stepping out of the car. Looking up at her house, I noticed that the light was on in a room. I looked up at the window from the corner of my eye. There was a girl there looking down at us. From what I could see she had long brown hair and was wearing her PJ:s. I smirked and looked at Caroline.

"Let's have a last good bye kiss," I said. She nodded immediately and stepped forward. I kissed her deeply and when I pulled away I looked up at the window. The girl ducked and disappeared. "You know your cousin isn't very good at spying," I informed the irritating blonde.

"She was spying on us?" She asked.

"Yeah she was. I bet she couldn't keep her eyes off of me," I smirked.

Caroline just chuckled. "Bye Damon," she said, before walking off.

"Bye."

As I entered the car again I looked up at the window, wondering whether Caroline had gotten there already? I listened intently, hearing Caroline stomp upstairs, before finally driving home.

* * *

When I arrived home I laid down on my bed. I thought about the girl. She looked good from what I could see. There was something about her that seemed so familiar. I don't know what it is but it feels like I know her. Have I met her before? The questions were too many. I had to find out more about her. I decided to take a run down to Caroline's house again and get a better look at her.

I ran my fastest and I was there in a minute. I hid behind a tree. I looked up and saw that the girl was looking down at me. I ran away again. This time I hid a little further away from their house. When I was sure that she was asleep I summoned a crow to spy on her for a moment.

It flew up and watched her sleep. When I let it go I jumped up on the tree and looked at her through the window. Her brown hair was sprawled over her pillow. On a chair next to her bed I saw a velvet red diary. _Why does everyone have diaries?_ I thought to myself. Then I looked at her. I mean really looked at her. She looked beautiful. But there was something about her, something familiar. I didn't know what it was. But I was going to find out...

That night I left Caroline's house with only one though in my mind. I was going to get to know this girl, one way or another...

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Please review! It would make a girl really happy!**

**Now to the information about my longer story. Like I said this is only a preview of the real story which will be told from the girl's point of view. It is a love story (I love those =P) but I won't post it until I am fully finished with it. And from what I can see it will be finished soon. But I would like to know what people think of the preview first so that I know if I even should post the real deal later. So please review! It's enough just to say: " Hey, I liked your story" or " I hate it" ( But please be nice =/ ) anyway Thank you for reading and please PLEASE! REVIEW!**

**ADDED NOTE: This story is actually far from finished, because as mentioned above, it was crappy... Now however, things are looking brighter and there are lots of chapters to come! =)**


	2. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Hey everyone! So I know I posted the first "chapter"/prologue a long, long time ago and I wanted to say that I have actually decided to continue this story. The only problem of course is that the original story I had almost finished was stupid. I read it through and I just can't believe I actually wrote some of the things in there! Hehe, I guess I have just developed my writing since I began to write the Tough Love series. ;)_**

**_Anyway I just finished rewriting this chapter and I'm actually happy with the outcome. It's a little short but you'll have to be okay with that this first time. I'll try to make the chapters longer in the future!_**

**_I hope you read and like it enough to review the story! I hope everyone who likes TL will like this story as well and just so you know this is the first time I'm writing about a human in a TVD fic ;). It wont be so difficult but it might be more difficult to keep her personality like in this chapter but I guess we'll just have to wait and see..._**

**_Anyway enjoy and I'll go and write some more chapers tomorrow or so!_**

**_DISCLAIMER FOR THE ENTIRE STORY BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE WRITING ONE ON EVERY CHAPTER: I do not own anything that has to do with the vampire diaries. The only thing I do own is Stephanie Blake and I am pretty damn proud about her... If any songs are used in the story I don't own them either because I am not a songwriting genius like some superstars out there. I think that covered most of it. ;)_**

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I don't know how much more of this I can take. Mystic Falls sucks. I've never been to a more depressing place in my life. Nothing happens here! Ever! Oh Gosh... Yes I know I've only bee here for like twelve hours but really? What is it about this place and rain? It's pouring outside while I'm writing this and I guess the sun isn't coming out tomorrow either..._

_God I miss the California sunshine. I miss everyone from back home- well maybe not Mrs. Tinkle but who would miss that old... (I'm not even going to finish that sentense). The only thing that keeps me from walking out of this Godforsaken place is my aunt and my cousin. Well, make that my aunt. For some reason my cousin doesn't care that I'm here, or maybe just like everyone else she just sees me as the poor little girl whose lost her parents... Yeah that's right, I'm an orphan now. I mean before I had my mom but now I just have this huge mess of a thing they call life. I can't stand it! I wanted to be out there! In the world! I wanted to see Paris and Milan and maybe shop in Venice before it goes under! And then, my mom died. Hit by a drunk driver. A tragedy. A great loss. That was what they said at the memorial as they watched me and tried to make me cry. I didn't. I never cried. When they told me my mom was dead, gone forever, I didn't cry. It's just the chock, they said. Yeah...Sure...Whatever..._

_It wasn't the Goddamn chock! It was me! I'm weird and I don't cry! I don't _feel_! I don' _care_! But I did. I wanted to cry. I wanted to feel and I wanted to care. I just, couldn't._

I stared at the last thing I wrote in the diary and sighed deeply. _Why am I so weird?_ I thought to myself. I shook my head and put the diary down on the chair next to my bed. I walked over to my closet and took out my PJ's. The pair of navy blue shorts and navy blue/white striped oversize t-shirt fit me perfectly and blue was my favorite color in the entire world. I let down my hair which I had earlier put up in a messy bun. I checked the watch, _01.37_. Why was I up so late again? School would be starting for me tomorrow and here I am, not even tired. I checked myself in the mirror once. My dark brown hair was falling down onto my right shoulder in waves and you could clearly make out the honey colored highlights in it. My eyes looked amber colored in this light but sometimes they went darker to a more chocolate looking brown and sometimes hazel, but they were still brown. I sat down by the window and looked outside seeing a flash of lightning followed by thunder. It felt like hours passed but it was all just minutes. Very soon a car appeared and stopped right outside our house. For a second I thought I heard something whisper in the shadows but when I turned around towards the door I saw nothing. I turned back to the window and saw _him_. Caroline stepped outside of the car and and he stepped out as well. He was wearing all black and if suited him quite well actually. His hair was dark and from what I could see his eyes looked blue or something. Then he kissed her and I felt a bang of something hit me like a ton of bricks. What was that feeling? Jealousy? Why? I didn't even know him.

He pulled away and smirked and then turned and looked up _directly at me_! I fell back and ducked underneath my desk. What was I supposed to do? Glare back at him? No, I think I'd rather save humiliating myself for next time I see him and he asks about why I was looking at him. I sat under the desk for another minute until I had made sure that I heard his engine disappear into the distance. Only a fiew seconds later my bedroom door burst open and in came Caroline, glaring at me.

"Steffy..." She said my name in a threatening voice making me almost shudder.

"Yes dear cousin?" I asked gritting my teeth and gave her a fake smile.

"Why were you spying on me and my- uh- friend?" She snapped and I raised an eyebrow.

"Looked like more than a friend to me..." I muttered but she heard me.

"So you did spy on us!" She exclaimed pointing an accusing finger on me.

"No, I couldn't sleep so I looked out the window like I always do at night and then I see _you _playing tonsil hockey with your _friend_." I remarked and a crimson red appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh. Sorry I got mad at you." She mumbled and then jumped excited and pushed me down on my bed. "So what did you think of him? Isn't he hot?" She asked and I shrugged.

"Didn't get a good look at him." I told her and she smiled.

"Yeah, he is kind of mysterious with his all black clothing and incredibly blue eyes." She said in a dreamy voice. "The only thing I don't get is how he knew you where watching us..." She trailed off and my heart skipped a beat. _So he did see me? __**Of course he saw you! The people in China could see you, that's how obvious you were!**__ Shut it._

"So, tell me about him." I said and nudged her trying to change the subject a little so that she wouldn't get mad at me again.

"Well, his name is Damon. Damon Salvatore-"

"Woah wait, as in _Salvatore_, Salvatore? As in one of the founding families?" I asked and she raised an eyebrow at me. Yes. I knew about Mystic Falls before I moved here and the founding families. Both my mom and dad were from this place but they ran away together and moved to Los Angeles. I guess they didn't stand this boring town anymore. My dad was a Blake, one of the wealthiest families in Mystic Falls and my mom was a Forbes, so yeah, I knew about the founders and the town history and let me tell you one thing- Mystic Falls was more interesting during the 1800's than it is today.

"Yes? Is there any other Salvatore's in Mystic Falls?" She asked sarcastically and I shrugged as she kept telling me about how great he is and everything about him and his brother and all her friends I would probably meet tomorrow. I checked the watch again.

"Caroline it's three in the morning, I think we should really go to bed now. We have school tomorrow and I don't think four hours of beauty sleep will help if I have bags under my eyes." I said and she chuckled.

"Sure Steph. Whatever." She stood up and kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't around today to spend your first day in Mystic Falls with you." She said and I actually smiled at her.

"It's okay Care. I'm sorry for being so snappy all day. I guess it's my way of dealing with things." She nodded and gave me a small nod.

"Goodnight Steffy." She said and smiled.

"Goodnight Caroline." She closed the door behind her and once I heard that she went downstairs to her room I went to the window. There in the shadows I saw a male figure. I didn't know who it was, I could only see his shadow. I blinked once and it was gone. I shrugged it of and went to bed. I laid down and pulled my blanket over me. I took out my diary again and checked the last sentence I had written.

_I wanted to cry. I wanted to feel and I wanted to care. I just, couldn't._

I skipped a couple of rows and scrambled down a fiew words.

_But I do think things might get better._

_Steffy_

I put the diary on the chair again and sleep finally took over, but one thing I didn't know was that outside my window, in the tree right outside, there was a crow watching me every breath I took...

* * *

**_A/N: So obviously I love giving my characters issues ;) What did you think? Should I continue even more on this one? And if you haven't already; check out my other TVD stories (well there is just one actually, or make that two since there is a sequel to the first one)! And have a ver, very, very awesome day!_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so glad some people reviewed this story :) I hope you'll like this chapter as much as I did when I wrote it. I'm trying to keep Steffy a little mysterious because there is something about her that seems familiar to Damon and at the same time Damon is familiar to her. What if they have already met once or something? Hmmm... All the possibilities..._**

**_Well anyway I hope you'll like this chapter enough to review it!_**

**_Enjoy! :)_**

* * *

"Aunt Liz, is Caroline even up yet?" I asked as my aunt made some coffee for herself. She actually stopped for a second as if trying to hear what was going on upstairs but then shrugged.

"I don't know Steffy." She said. "Are you sure you don't want coffee?" She asked and I immediately shook my head.

"No, I absolutely loathe coffee." I chuckled. The last thing I could do was at least be nice to her. I mean she took me in after my mom died.

"Well then-" Liz began but was interrupted by Caroline.

"Mom! Steffy and I are leaving! Someone is picking us up! Shouldn't you be at work?" She asked in a mean tone walking into the kitchen. Her mom let out a deep sigh.

"I just wanted to say good luck to Steffy. It is her first day at school here." She stated and turned to me. "So good luck Steffy." She said and looked at Caroline from the side and then left.

"Why are you so mean to your mom?" I asked Caroline and she shrugged.

"It's just the way things are between us. It's our thing to snap at each other all the time." She said, not even trying to defend herself. She grabbed my hand and began to drag me outside. I barely had time to fetch my bag before she closed the door after us.

* * *

We were standing out on the driveway and waiting. Caroline was texting like a mad woman and I put on my shades. Yes. I guess I was wrong yesterday. There was no sight of a rain cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly.

"Who is going to pick us up?" I asked her and she tore her eyes away from the phone for a second.

"Damon."

"What?" I asked, snapping my head in her direction.

"I said that-"

"I heard you, what I meant was _why_?" She shrugged and I groaned internally.

"He has a certain look that gets people to notice that we have arrived." She said and I stared.

"Why would we want to get noticed?" I asked and she looked at me like I was crazy.

"Because Steph! You're new here and you need to make a good impression on the people around you if you don't want to end up like- never mind." She said quickly and being totally against my own nature I didn't press her to tell me more. Then I heard a engine and I turned my head up only to see a blue car driving up to us. The roof was down, unlike yesterday, and in the drivers seat was Damon a smug look on his face.

"Good morning girls." He said and there was something about the way he said it that made me roll my eyes.

"Hi Damon." Caroline said and walked around to sit in the front but Damon locked the doors before she could get in. He took off his sunglasses and looked at her.

"Don't you think your cousin would like to sit in the front?" He asked her and I simply stared at Caroline who seemed to be in a daze at first. She snapped out of It quickly.

"Sure." She said in a peppy voice and went to sit in the back. Damon turned around to face me again and I was simply staring at him through my sunglasses. _Why does he seem so familiar?_

"Are you getting in or what?" He asked me in a non-polite tone.

"Uh... Yes?" I said but it was more of a question. "I don't usually sit in cars until the person who is driving invites me in. I know it's weird but I have always been like that and-" I stopped when he got out of the car and walked up to me. He was standing really close and I could feel the smell of his cologne filling my nose.

"Will you please get into my car? I don't have all day and I have other businesses to attend to." He said and gave me look. I stared at him as he began some sort of staring competition with me.

"You could have just said come in." I muttered and walked past him and sat down in the car. He stayed for a second with a confused look on his face and then turned around to look at me.

"What's your name?" He asked and I looked at him.

"Will you please just drive us already? I have other businesses to attend to." I said and smirked. His lips turned up in an amused smile.

"You Forbes women sure are something." He said and winked at me, getting into the car. "The only problem with you is that you don't know what you get yourselves into until it's too late to back out." He said under his breath but I heard him. Caroline didn't because she was on the phone with one of her friends. Don't know which one, don't care either. I was wondering what Damon meant by what he said. Was he talking about me picking a fight with him or something else? I don't know, but this time, I actually _did _care for some reason.

* * *

He parked outside the school and Caroline immediately got out of the car. I stared at her as she turned to me, who was still sitting in the front passenger seat.

"Listen. I'm going to go to my cheerleader appointment and you will just have to find your own way through school. Go to the office and ask for a schedule. Then everything will work out fine." She said and gave me a small smile. "Bye!" She said and strutted off. I stared after her, still a little confused. I turned back to Damon and jumped a little. His face was extremely close to mine as I stared into his icy blue eyes.

"So." He said in a cocky tone. "You're actually trying to keep me on edge, am I correct?" He asked and I raised an eyebrow at him. "You want me to actually chase after you or what?" He asked again and I shook my head.

"No. I want you to leave me alone." I told him and this time he raised an eyebrow.

"You don't even know me." He stated.

"I guess there's just something about you that makes my brain scream 'warning, dangerous'." I told him honestly. He chuckled a little.

"Your brain is right. I am dangerous. More dangerous than you can imagine." I said and did a little thing with his eyes.

"I've had enough bad boys in my life Damon." I said and pulled back a little.

"Can I have your name?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"Why do you want it?" I asked and he let out another small chuckled and put on a very amused smirk.

"I want to stop referring to you as Caroline's cousin and 'you'. It might make someone think that your name actually is that." He joked badly but for some reason I chuckled a little. "That's it, now we're getting somewhere." He said and I just smiled a little. It was hard not to smile around him.

"Okay then." I said. "My name is Steffy. Stephanie really but I like it better when people call me Steffy." I told him and he smiled.

"That's a beautiful name Steffy." He said testing to say it. For some reason I loved how it rolled off his tongue so easily and smoothly. _Snap out of it Steph!_ I thought to myself.

"Thank you I guess." I said and he smiled cockily as usual. He suddenly stepped out of the car and walked over to my side. "What are you doing?" I asked just as he opened my door.

"Being a gentleman." He offered me his hand but I refused to take it and stood up myself.

"I'm not a lady Damon." I told him and he once again smirked.

"I hoped you wouldn't be." He said and got a little closer to me. My back was pressing against his car and he was moving closer and closer to my face. "You will probably love this." He said and leaned in. All of the sudden I slapped him. His head whipped to the side and I saw a few girls on the schoolyard look our way.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I asked him and he stared at me.

"I was about to-" He began and I interrupted him.

"Oh I _know _what you where about to do. Let go of me and stay away!" I said and pushed him away and walked off towards the school. I could hear that he was following me.

"Steffy, wait. I'm sorry." He said as he grabbed my shoulder. "I just kind of thought that you wanted me to kiss you." He admitted but for some reason it felt like he was lying.

"Oh yeah, sure Damon. I go around and kiss complete strangers all the time. That is so hot, isn't is? God I thought I actually could become your friend there for a moment." I said and began to walk away again.

"No. Wait. I said I was sorry." He stated. "What more can you want?"

"I want you to leave me alone. You are Caroline's boyfriend and I'm her cousin. The only time we get to see each other is if you stop by her house for some 'quality time'. Now, if you will please excuse me I need to find the office because my cousin left me to handle things on my own." I told him and began to walk away but he stopped me. "What now?" I asked and he gave me a serious look.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for your loss." He said, taking me by surprise.

"What...?" I whispered and he shrugged.

"Caroline told me about your mom. I'm sorry about your loss, I know what it's like to lose a parent." He told me seriously. In that moment I regretted everything I had said to him.

"I'm sorry I was so mean to you." I told him. "Maybe we can be friends after all." I gave him a small smile and then turned around to leave again. When I stood by the school entrance I could still feel him staring at me so I smiled and turned around. I waved at him a little.

"Thanks for the ride!" I yelled to him and he chuckled shaking his head and getting into the car, driving away. What was it about him, that made me care?

* * *

I walked through the hallway and watched as everyone was running around like crazy. Some typical jocks were running around and throwing footballs at each other. I had to duck a few times to avoid getting his in the had and even caught the ball a couple of times and thre it back at them. Some people where staring at me, probably noticing I'm new here. I was wearing my torn black jeans and a dark purple shirt with a logo on it. I was also wearing my black converse and my hair was set up in a high ponytail. I took out the schedule that the student counselor had given me earlier. Yes the principal actually made me talk to the counselor to make sure that I was ready to start studying because of my moms sudden death. All of the sudden I bumped into someone and all my new books fell out of my hands.

"Oh my Gosh I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed and bent down to pick them up.

"It's okay, let me help you." The guy said and bent down as well. He helped me pick up all my books and I finally looked up to meet his eyes. They were green and bright, his face was paler than any other boys I had ever seen and he looked absolutely gorgeous. "You're Caroline's cousin aren't you?" He asked me and I snapped out of my little bubble.

"Uh, yes. I'm Steffy." I said and shook his hand which he had offered to me.

"I'm Stefan." He said and gave me a small smile.

"I like your name." I said and he chuckled a little.

"Yeah, I like yours too. Stephanie right? Stefan is the male version of it, isn't that right?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes." I smiled. From the corner of my eye I saw a girl with straight, long brown hair walk up to me and Stefan.

"Elena, this is Caroline's cousin." Stefan said putting an arm around her shoulders. "Steffy." All of the sudden the girl- _Elena_- smiled at me.

"It's nice to meet you Steffy. I'm Elena, Caroline's friend." She said and I nodded.

"Yes, I remember now, Caroline told me about you." I smiled, shaking her hand as well. "Wait, then that means that you are Stefan Salvatore." I said and looked at Stefan again. "Damon's brother." Both of their expressions changed a little.

"You know Damon?" Stefan asked and I nodded a little.

"Well I don't really know him but we have met. He drove me and Caroline to school today." I explained and Stefan nodded.

"Don't tell me he tried something on you."

"Well if I said otherwise I would be lying." I smirked and Stefan groaned.

"I'm sorry about him. He just doesn't know how to stay away from people. I'll tell him to back off." He said and I laughed a little.

"It's okay Stefan. I slapped him so I'm good." I said and Elena smiled amused.

"You slapped Damon?" She asked and I nodded. "I like you already." She told me and I grinned at her. "Let me see your schedule." She said and I picked it up and handed it to her. "I was right, you have the same classes as we." She smiled handing it back to me.

"We?" I asked and she motioned to Stefan and her.

"Well you have every class like me and my friend Bonnie and we have history together with Stefan. So I'll be happy to show you around." She smiled and I nodded.

"That would really be awesome. Thanks Elena." I said and we began to walk to class.

* * *

The day passed quickly and I got to know both Elena and Stefan better. I got to know Bonnie, Elena's best friend and I think I saw Elena's brother Jeremy walking into a classroom. Anyway I was now walking home because Caroline ditched me completely and Stefan had football practice and Elena was going to watch him. She asked me to stay but I made up some excuse to just go home. The wind was blowing in my hair and I could feel myself getting colder and colder. I was walking past the cemetery and then I heard a car horn honk. I jumped and turned around ready to yell at the bastard who had scared me half to death but stopped when I saw Damon leaning against his car with his arms crossed.

"Missed me?" He asked and I glared at him. _How did he get out of the car so fast?_ I shrugged the strange feeling off that had come with that question and answered him.

"No actually I didn't. I haven't thought about you the entire day but I figured out that your brother is much nicer than you are." I told him and he raised an eyebrow.

"You met Stefan?" He asked.

"Well duh. We go to the same school, what were the chances we would bump into each other?" I asked him and he frowned.

"Apparently not small enough." When he said that I turned around and kept walking home. He quickly got into his car and began to drive very slowly next to me. "So Caroline left you huh?" He asked and I ignored him. "Oh so I'm getting the silent treatment? Well I can be quiet too." He said and I just continued to walk down the street. _One, two, thr-_ I counted in my head.

"Okay, so maybe I can't." I smiled smugly. "But I can drive you home, if you want to." he added. I thought about it. It would be nice not to have to walk home, especially not when it's getting colder by the minute, but at the same time I didn't know if I should. Both Elena and Stefan had warned me today to try and stay away from Damon because he was apparently very bad. I slowly turned to face him, but kept my face straight. "You have really beautiful hair." He complimented just as the wind blew a little. He was trying to make me blush but I wouldn't cave. "Doesn't anything work on you?" He suddenly snapped getting a little angry.

"Fine." I finally huffed.

"Oh, it _talks_." He said excited, as if he was a kid who had just gotten a shiny new toy. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm only agreeing to let you drive me home because I'm tired and don't think the weather is going to be nice for much longer. This means nothing okay?" I told him and he nodded.

"Sure. Now come on in and I'll give you the ride of your life." He said, still fake excited. I rolled my eyes again and opened the door, getting in.

"You know where I live." I said and he nodded putting on a pair of black RayBan sunglasses. "Oh trust me Steffy, I do." With those word he stepped on the gas and we were on our way.

"So do you have a job or something?" I asked him trying to break the awkward silence in the car.

"Yeah. I'm awesome." He replied and then got quiet again. I raised my eyebrows.

"Well? What do you work as?" I asked again and he smirked.

"I told you already." He told me in a singsong voice.

"No you told me you were awesome." I stated confused and he just nodded.

"And that is the hardest thing you can work as." He stated back at me.

"That isn't a job!" I said and he glanced at me from the side.

"Yes it is, and it's hard too. You wouldn't handle a day of being as awesome and amazing as I am."

"You're such a..." I began trying to find the right word to use. "Jackass." I finally settled.

"No, I'm a dick and I love it." He replied smirking once again. Oh how I wanted to just smack him and beat that stupid smirk off of his face. He made me lose all my cool and for some reason he felt so freaking familiar and I just wanted to kiss him and- Woah what?! _You said you wanted to kiss him. _No I didn't. _Yes you did. _Didn't I tell you to shut up once?

"Well I guess you are then." I said simply.

"So what about you? What do you like to do in your free time?" He asked and I looked at him strangely.

"Why are you asking?" I asked him.

"Because you asked me a question and now it's my turn. You have to answer honestly by the way." He added and I laughed a little but noticed that it was already too late.

"I'm sorry Damon. I think we'll have to take this another time. We're here." I stated just as he slowed down and parked outside of Caroline's house.

"So I'm taking that as a 'I would like to see you again Damon'." He told me and I smiled getting out of the car and grabbing my bag with me.

"You should be taking it as an official invitation to being my friend or something." He raised an eyebrow and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Or _something_?" He asked and I shook my head.

"You're really weird." I told him.

"So are you because somehow you've managed to resist my incredible charm." He said and winked.

"What if I'm just not like the other cheerleaders you've dated?" I asked him.

"Cheerleaders...?" He said thoughtfully. "Wait, don't tell me you're a cheerleader!" He said, playing with the thought.

"Ex-cheerleader. It ran in the family. I decided that I had other things to do than wear perky short-shorts and dance around." I said and ran a hand through my hair. Why did I tell him that? Why is it so easy to talk to him? And why do I still have that nagging feeling as if I've already met him once?! I took a small step back. "I have to go now." I said, looking back at the house and turning back to him.

"You can always come with me." He offered and I gave him a look.

"Where would we go?" I asked, as if I was actually considering the offer.

"Back to my place." He said somewhat seductively. I laughed and shook my head.

"No way Damon. Caroline remember?"

"So if Caroline was out of the picture you're saying that you would come with me?" He asked, rephrasing what I had just said.

"No, I'm just saying that we might need to get to know each other first. Don't make me regret trying to be your friend." I told him. "Bye Damon." I said and walked off. As I opened the door he honked his horn and just waved his fingers at me and I waved back. I got into the house and closed the door, leaning against it with my back and let out a sigh.

"Weird."

* * *

After finishing my homework I laid back on my bed and took out my diary. I opened a blank page and began to write down a few things.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was one of the toughest days of my life. I think Caroline must have told everyone a little pity-story about me. How she and her mom practically 'saved me from the streets' and took me in after my mom so tragically passed away. Everyone who talked to me kept telling me that they were sorry for my loss and how I felt about what had happened. I hated it. They hadn't saved me from the streets. My mom had left me everything she and my dad had ever owned. My dad's family was wealthy and they had left him everything since he was an only child just like I was. Anyway, my mom's attorney had talked to me right after my mom's death and told me that my mom had arranged for me to be able to get everything right after she died, even if I was underage. The only thing I had to do was get a job and be able to pay for bills and such things on my own. I had decided that I didn't want special treatment by any law and that I would get the house and everything after I turned eighteen. It was only a few months away anyway but I still figured I might as well get a job. So that's my mission for tomorrow. To get a job. I don't even want to think about it right now._

_So, I met some new people today. Elena seemed nice, Stefan seemed even nicer, there's something off with him and Bonnie, Elena's best friend and Elena's brother acts as if something in his life is missing but I don't know what. But for some reason the only person I can think about now is Damon, Stefan's brother. There is something about him that seems so familiar but at the same time dangerous. It's like my mind is telling me to stay away from him but my heart keeps telling me to reach out and see what's behind his mask. Yes. He does wear a mask. Just like me. I feel like I _have _to know him and that I just can't let go of him. Like now... I want to tell you about Caroline and her mom and how nice they have been but I just keep writing about Damon and his incredibly weird behavior. I have a feeling that he is hiding a dark secret and I wont rest until I find out what it is. Screw everything everyone's told me about him. That he's dangerous. I want to know. I _need _to know. But right now, I have to stop writing. It feels like someone is watching me. It has felt that way ever since I arrived in Mystic Falls. Like I'm being followed and like something is going to jump me around the corner._

I shuddered for a second and looked around. I was alone in the house again. Elizabeth was working and Caroline was probably with Matt. I didn't understand her. She had Damon and yet she had left school with Matt. Was she cheating on Damon or something? I put my thoughts away and kept writing.

_Maybe that is the feeling you get after your mom dies. Or after your dad dies. Or maybe, when everyone around you is dying. That is what if feels like for me. I know I should cry but like I've written before, I just can't do it. It is like something inside of me is blocked and I can't express any compassionate feelings around anyone. I do care about them and everything, but when I'm with them and they are sad or mad or just happy, I for some reason am not. I can't be with them emotionally and it sucks. Maybe Damon is just like me... Maybe he can't express feelings either... A part of me feels sorry for him but I still can't understand why. He seems to be the biggest jerk alive because he was obviously flirting with me when he drove me home today even though he had Caroline. Maybe that is why Caroline went with Matt? Maybe they are about to break up or something?_

_See what I did there? I went right back to writing about him without even noticing it at first. And now, when I did, I realize that for some reason it felt like my heart was about to burst when I decided to stop writing about him. I need to get a hold of myself. I can't just begin to feel like this for a complete stranger, but I guess... I guess that he doesn't really feel like a stranger to me..._

_Goodnight,_

_-Steffy_

I put away the diary after locking it and went to bed. I laid down and closed my eyes, instantly falling into the land of dreams.

* * *

It was weird. The dream, I mean. I was walking around in the school hallways alone. There was not a single person in sight as I searched every single classroom that existed in the building.

"Hello?" I called out, but no answer came. Instead there was a sound of metal crashing from behind me. I whipped around and stared at the lamp that had fallen down. I looked up at the ceiling, where it had previously been and gasped. There was something hanging there. A person- no! A creature! It looked like a person but at the same time it didn't. It was unnatural. It was horrifying and it had fangs. I put a hand to my mouth to keep myself from screaming in horror. Once I blinked, it was gone. I let out a sigh of relief and began to run towards to school entrance. I had to get out out of here! I rounded the corner and froze. The creature was back again, but this time it was a holding a person. I stared at it and my legs turned into jelly. I dropped to the floor and stared at the creature. It was doing something to my cousin. Caroline's face was pale and her eyes were closed. Blood was trailing down her neck as the creature moved it's head slightly from time to time. I recognized what it was doing. It was holding her so that it could get a better reach at her neck. I had seen this on Animal Planet several times. It was the way a lion would hold a zebra once it caught it. This _creature-_whatever it was- was actually _feeding_ on Caroline. That was when I couldn't hold back anymore. I screamed out in fear and the creatures head whipped around quickly as it looked into my eyes. I wanted to help Caroline but I knew it was no use. She was probably already dead. I turned around and began to run. I could hear how the creature moved behind me, incredibly fast. Unnatural. Supernatural. Just when I was a meter away from the door I was knocked over and I felt how _claws_ ripped through my shirt and bore into my flesh. I screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. I rolled onto my back and looked up to see a crow flying above me and then the creature was back again. I saw how it prepared to pounce me and I closed my eyes, expecting the worst pain in my life, just as everything around me turned to dust.

I jumped up in my bed and my hands immediately flew to my neck. I looked around in the room and turned the lights on. The pain I had felt in my back was still there. I walked over to the mirror and turned around a little. I felt goosebumps cover my arms again as I saw the red color through my shirt. As I lifted the shirt above my head it got even worse. I stared blankly at the scars that had mysteriously appeared on my back. I put my hand to it and it drew blood. I stared at my hand and dropped the shirt to the floor. I didn't know what to do, so I went to my bathroom and tried to wash off the blood from the shirt and stepped into the shower. The water was actually soothing the pain a little but it never disappeared completely. When I was finished I searched the cabinets for some bandages. I found some and managed to cover the scars up completely after using some cooling gel on them. I put on a clean shirt and went back to bed again. I listened to the wind as it blew outside and closed my eyes again. I was to afraid to actually fall asleep. What if this happened again? Should I tell someone about it? How was it even possible that something like this happens to a person? All these questions were followed by an answer. No. I shouldn't tell anyone because no one would believe me even if I did tell them. People would just think that I had officially gone crazy. Maybe I was crazy? Maybe that was why I couldn't cry? I shuddered. I had to sleep. I had school again tomorrow and then I had to look for a job. For now I would just keep all of this to myself. It was better this way.

_No one has to know..._

**_A/N: Hmmm... What did you think? :) I wanted Steffy to have something in common with Damon but at the same time be completely different from him. I have to say this but it might spoil the story for you, so I'll just do it like this:_**

**_SPOILER ALERT FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS OF MTB:_**

**_There is something with Steffy that is "blocking" her feelings inside of her. She might care and things like that but she can never really show her emotions. Like she can't cry and stuff like that, but once this "thing" is unblocked she might actually be able to show her emotions like everyone else._**

**_So now you know. And I know this story is weird but hey! Since when can vampires walk in daylight? (That was actually something my grandmother asked me when she watched TVD with me for the first time ^^ LOL)._**

**_And Steffy's dream was strange too... And the scars... How the heck did that happen? Well, I guess I'm the only one who knows ^^_**

**_Now tell me! What did you think? What do you hope will happen? If you tell me all of this in a review I might be inspired to write more and fatser ;) Just a small hint hehe... Anyway, I would love it if you could just review and tell me! :) So for now, bye bye._**

**_Oh and one more thing! I kept my promise! This chapter was longer than the last one ;) Now I'll just have to keep getting inspired and then you might get a even longer chapter one day! :)_**

**_So go on and review now!_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy_**


	4. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Hi everyone! I just wrote this little crappy filler chapter and I don't even know how it turned out. I haven't had time to edit it or anything so it's just roughly done but I still hope you'll like it at least a little._**

**_I read in a review that someone wanted a little more Damon POV so here it goes! At least a little. I think Damon might be a little OOC but I hope you'll like him anyway. This story is a little weird but still ;) Please enjoy ok?_**

* * *

_**(Damon's Point of View)**_

_The same night..._

"This is so you Damon, you always mess with the new girls!" Stefan said as I took a sip from the AB-positive blood-bag in my hand. I rolled my eyes a little as I laid down on the couch.

"What brother? I haven't done anything to her, have I?" I said and this time the Saint rolled his eyes at me.

"Yet." He said, crossing his arms. "Why can't you at least let this one go? Leave her alone Damon, I'm begging you. She's been through a lot already, the last thing she needs is to get involved with vampires." He told me. I tapped a finger to my chin.

"Well it isn't my fault I am so damn irresistible." I smirked and once again Stefan rolled his eyes at me.

"I'm warning you Damon. Stay _away_. Leave Steffy alone and you wont get hurt." He threatened.

"Really Stefan, you're trying to threaten _me_?" I mocked and chuckled darkly. "Oh I'll have her down on her knees begging me to bite her in less than a week." Stefan ran at me and I was quickly at my feet, ducking.

"I told you to leave her alone Damon! No more death on your behalf!" He told me angrily.

"Whoever told you I wanted her dead?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter if you want to play or just talk with someone. They always end up dead." I couldn't help but sigh and roll my eyes at my baby brother.

"If this is about Callie, I- _Ouch_!" I looked down at my chest were a letter opener was sticking out. Blood was spreading across my favorite shirt and I felt anger boil inside of me. My face darkened and I could feel how the blood rushed through me, just as my fangs extended. "This is my favorite shirt Stefan." I snarled at him and jumped. I knocked him to the floor and glared at him. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"Leave _her _alone." He said calmly. His face was neutral and emotionless for once. His poker face had gotten better- probably from listening to Lady Gaga every day. He stood up and glared at me again. I tried to keep the smirk off my face and slowly nodded.

"Fine. I'll leave her alone..." I said walking out of the room to get dressed. _For a day or two..._ I said to myself as I smirked.

* * *

An hour later, after I had made sure St. Stefan wasn't guarding the door I left. I got into the car and drove towards Caroline's house. I knew Liz wouldn't be there, I had made sure she was busy when she heard that another 'mountain lion' had attacked a hunter in the woods. I parked the car a little further down the street so that no one would recognize it if they saw it again. Not that I couldn't compel any witness or so but this made things a lot easier for me.

The walk was about a hundred meters so it wasn't far. It was a chilly night, but nothing too bad for a vampire. For some reason though, as I got closer to Caroline's house, I felt some kind of excitement building inside of me. I was going to see her again. I was going to see Steffy. The girl that for some reason intrigued me more than any other girl I have ever met. I close my eyes as I stood under the big tree just outside her window. I could hear her calm heartbeats as she slept. I gathered my strength and jumped up. I grabbed the first branch with my hands and swung myself up on the next one, right beside her window. I felt a little creepy, considering that I was watching her as she slept in just her pyjamas, but I shrugged the weird feeling off. I didn't care at all. I just wanted to be bad. I knew I could enter her room whenever I wanted. I had been invited in by Caroline once. Then the weirdest thing in the world happened. Steffy began to talk in her sleep. At first it was just mumbling but then the words came out clearer.

"No, please... Please..." She moaned as I held on tighter to the branch. _What's going on? _I shifted a little to get a better look. She began tossing and turning. "Help me... Help..." Her cries for help became more and more desperate. I tried to get into her mind and see what she was dreaming but I couldn't. It was blocked. _What a strange little human..._ I thought just as she once again cried out. There was a part inside of me that wanted to help her. I wanted to just walk in and shake her until she woke up, but I couldn't do it. Suddenly she gasped and sat up. I stared at her for a second but then ducked and jumped down from the branch, landed on my feet and ran quickly to my car.

"What the hell was going on with you...?" I mumbled to myself but for some reason, I couldn't decide whether or not it was meant for me or her.

* * *

**_A/N: Hmm... So now we know that Damon knows about Steffy's little weird dream thing, but of course he had to leave right after she woke up so he didn't see anything of the blood and stuff. But in the next chapter we'll be back to Steffy's point of view and that means we'll see her trying to hide the fact that she has scars on her back ;) But with Caroline as a cousin, that might not be so easy ;) Haha that's all you'll get for now and please please review and tell me what you thought okay? I love you guys and you are the best people in the world for supporting me with the reviews!_**

**_Much love!_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy ;)_**


	5. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Hey guys! I decided to update this now before going to bed and I have something really important to tell you so you need to READ THIS!_**

**_I have decided that this story will take place as the episodes of the show take place, although with some small changes. :) Chapter 5 will be about what happens in Family Ties for example. The small changes will be that Elena already knows about Stefan and Damon being vampires and she and Stefan are together. All the Vicki drama is already over, done with and dealt with although not the thing about Damon being trapped in the basement and all that (or rather I still haven't decided on that yet). But for now, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_P.S. Follow me on twitter for daily updates!_**

**_ADDED NOTE: I know I wrote in a chapter that Lexi was already dead, but I kinda changed my mind so instead I changed her name for Callie's name (If you've read Stefan's Diaries you know who I'm talking about, if not; ask me and I'll tell you!)_**

* * *

The next morning was as hard as ever. Well for me at least. I was trying to convince Caroline that I didn't need to wear anything tight just to look good. She thought It was a fashion statement but for me it was more about comfort, considering that I now had three almost 8-inch-long scars over my back. Of course Caroline didn't know this so I couldn't really blame her for trying to get me to wear something else. I had put on a pair of dark blue jeans and a semi-long-sleeved gray shirt and a black hoodie over that. It was soft and didn't press against the scars so it felt quite good to wear it.

About the scars, I had checked them again this morning and they had already begun to heal. There was dried blood on them but then again, I hadn't expected anything else really. This morning Caroline wanted to drive us to school and of course I said yes. I had changed the bandages and the hoodie actually hid the fact that they even existed. I was happy about that because I didn't want people to ask questions that I couldn't answer.

"So today we have history with Mr. Saltzman and we are going to be talking about the town history and stuff." Caroline said and I nodded.

"That's great, finally something I can understand." I joked and she actually laughed a little. "So Care, why did you drive home with Matt yesterday?" I asked her randomly and she shrugged.

"Because I guess."

"But what about Damon?" I asked.

"What _about _Damon?" She asked back to me.

"I thought you two were like together or something." I said simply and she shrugged.

"Not anymore. We're just friends I think. We broke up." I felt something inside of me click.

"Oh really? When did that happen?" I asked curious.

"About two days ago or so. The day before you and Damon officially met." She told me.

"But why didn't you tell me you had broken up?" I asked her. "I thought you were still together and that was why I told Damon to stay away from me-" I stopped talking once I saw Caroline looking at me from the corner of her eye.

"To stay away from you...? You're saying that he actually made a move on you?" She asked and I bit my lip a little.

"Sorry?" I tried and Caroline just chuckled.

"Oh don't apologize to me. I actually don't even care right now. Damon and I are over so it doesn't matter. All I know is that I don't want you to go out with him because he treated me like crap and he's a real jerk." _Why the sudden attitude change towards Damon?_ I wanted to ask, but kept myself from doing so. "Do you hear me Steph? Stay away from Damon because he is really bad. I regret ever introducing the two of you." She said and parked the car on the school parking lot.

"Come on Caroline. Whoever said anything about going out with him? I just think there is more to him than he lets on and that is the only thing that makes me curious. I've noticed he's a complete jerk so I don't want anything else to do with him." I told her and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, because he wont do you any good." She said as we got out of the car and walked off to the school.

* * *

I opened my locker and took out my history book and my notebook. I put my bag in and grabbed a pencil and an eraser too just as someone cleared his throat behind me. I jumped and turned around only to see Stefan smiling at me.

"Hi." I breathed and smiled back. "You scared me." I said, putting my guard down for a minute.

"Sorry about that." He said with a serious look and I just shook my head.

"It's okay." I chuckled. "Did you want to talk about something or did you just want to try out your ninja skills?" I asked him and this time he chuckled.

"Yes, in fact I wanted to tell you that I told Damon to back off." I raised an eyebrow at his statement.

"And how big exactly are the chances of him actually doing what you tell him to do?"

"Very small." Stefan answered motioning with a small space between his index finger and thumb.

"That's what I thought." I said and locked my locker. "Where's Elena?" I asked him, deciding it was time to change the subject.

"She's already in class with Caroline and Bonnie. She wanted me to show you the way in case you had forgotten she showed it to you yesterday." He said and I shook my head.

"It's okay Stefan. I remember where it is and I just need to visit the ladies room before we start." I said and he nodded.

"Then we'll see you there." He said and I nodded as he walked off. I turned around and walked into the girls bathroom. I checked if anyone was inside the booths and once I had made sure no one was there I locked the door. I walked up to the mirror and leaned against the counter. I was feeling incredibly dizzy.

_I can't believe Alex is even thinking about enlisting in the Navy!... I think I should tell mom the truth about what happened last weekend... Since when did Joanne get so hot?... Who the hell cares about your personal life..._

The thoughts weren't mine but I couldn't get them out of my head. The voices were different every time and I couldn't seem to find a way to get to my own thoughts. My head was spinning and I felt my vision blur. For a second everything went black and everything was silent.

_Hi Stefan. Where is Steffy? _Elena's voice rang through my ears. It was almost as if I was in the same room as they were although I was fully aware that I was laying on my injured back in the girl's restroom.

_She's going to be here soon. She just had something to do._ Stefan replied and I could hear how their lips connected once before I opened my eyes. I yelped as I tried to sit up. My back hurt like hell and I had no idea what was going on in my head. I rolled over on my stomach and got on all four as I felt the pain again and somehow managed to crawl up into a standing position. I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed I was paler than usual. _Maybe I'm sick?_ I thought to myself. The voices weren't there anymore and I could feel my heartbeats getting calmer and calmer. I brushed my pants off and washed my hands. I put my hair up in a ponytail and sighed deeply before walking out of the bathroom and went to class.

* * *

"Ah, you must be-" The teacher began but I stopped him.

"Steffy." I said and extended my hand towards him. His brown hair was messy and his blue eyes looked into mine.

"I'm Alaric or Mr. Saltzman. Whichever you prefer. I think Mr. Saltzman sounds a little too old for me so how about Alaric?" He asked and I nodded.

"Sounds great." I said and smiled a little at him.

"You can sit next to Elena if you want to." He told me and I nodded, seeing as that was the only seat left. "Today we are going to go through the town history because apparently that is more important than World War Two, but hey, what do I know?" He said and I chuckled a little as we began to go talk about the founding families and everything else that came with it.

I stayed quiet for most of the conversations Alaric had with the students and when they began counting up the founding families I stayed quiet.

"There are of course the Lockwood's, Salvatore's, Forbes', Gilbert's and the Fell's" Alaric said and that was when I raised my hand for the first time.

"You forgot one." I said and he looked at me.

"Did I?" He asked counting his fingers again.

"Yes. The family that died out. Well, not entirely." I said a little smugly and leaned back into my chair. Mumbles ran through the classroom and I waited for Alaric to respond.

"I'm sorry Steffy but I think I haven't heard of this family." He said honestly. "Maybe you can enlighten me?" I felt a smirk spreading across my face and I nodded.

"Sure Ric. The Blake family." I said and he raised an eyebrow.

"The Blake family?" He asked confused but this time Stefan interrupted.

"Wait, I remember the Blake's." He said thoughtfully. "I've read about them I mean." He added and both Alaric and Elena raised an eyebrow at him. The other students were no longer interested in the conversation and were instead doodling or texting. "The Blake family were one of the most powerful families in Mystic Falls back during the 1860's. After a while the family members slowly began to get less and less until the family name died out completely." He said. "That's what I read at least." He said and gave Elena a look that made her nod.

"But that isn't true." Caroline said catching everyone's attention again. "The Blake's didn't die out. Not really. My aunt married the last Blake and they got a kid." She said and her eyes locked with mine. Everyone in the classroom turned around to look at me. The only thing was that Stefan's eyes lingered for a moment longer making me feel a little uncomfortable as I looked down in my notebook.

"My family name isn't gone completely. Not _yet _anyway." I said and then Alaric kept the lesson going.

* * *

After the lesson I scrambled my things together and nearly ran out of the classroom. I threw my history book into my locker and yelped once I felt someone poke my back. I turned around and saw Elena who had pulled her hands back looking at me confused.

"You okay?" She asked me and I nodded, trying to smile through the incredible pain.

"Uh... Yes I am. Just a little sore. Had a rough night." I explained and she nodded, but still looked a little worried.

"I didn't know you were a Blake." Stefan said. He had been standing next to Elena but I had just noticed him.

"Yeah I am. People just assume I'm a Forbes when they hear that I'm related to Caroline. They never think about the possibility that my mom might have taken my dads name after they married." I explained and somehow my mind traveled to Damon.

_She looks like she's been through hell_. I looked at Elena.

"What?" I asked and she looked at me.

"I didn't say anything." She said and I felt a knot tie in my stomach.

"Oh." I said simply.

"You sure you're okay?" Stefan asked and I shook my head.

"No. To be honest I think I might be going crazy." I said quietly. "I think I should go home. Maybe get some rest or something. I'm feeling incredibly lightheaded and I can barely walk." I explained and they nodded.

"I can drive you home." Stefan offered. "You shouldn't be alone if you're dizzy and you should definitively not be driving."

"No it's okay. I'll just walk home. I need some fresh air anyway." I said and now Caroline walked up to us.

"Hey guys. What's up with this secret meeting or whatever?" She asked and I frowned.

"No secret meeting. Stefan was just offering to drive me home but I declined." I explained and she gave me a look.

"Drive you home?" She asked and I nodded.

"I'm not feeling so well." I told her and this time she frowned.

"Well, I guess I could drive you home but then I would be late for the meeting with the school assembly. We are organizing another charity event and-"

"Caroline." I interrupted. "It's okay. Like I said before you got here. I'll just walk home." I said again but Elena shook her head.

"No you wont. If you're dizzy you can faint or worse on your way home and who knows what kind of maniacs there are out there." She said and my mind traveled to my dream. "You should just go to the nurses office and rest. After school Caroline will-"

"Didn't I just say that I had an important meeting?" Caroline piped up and Elena sighed and rolled her eyes.

"_Stefan and I_ will drive you home." She said and I nodded.

"Okay." I said just as Jeremy walked by.

"Jeremy!" Elena called for her brother and he turned around to look at her. "Could you please show Steffy to the nurses office? She's new and I didn't have time to show it to her yesterday." She explained and Jeremy nodded.

"Sure. I was just heading that was anyway." He said and walked up to me and gave me a crooked smile that made me smile back.

"Thank you Jeremy." I said and he just nodded a little and showed me the way.

"So why do you have to go here anyway?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I wanted to go home, Elena and Stefan wouldn't let me because I was dizzy, so I'm stuck here." I shrugged and he chuckled a little.

"It's so typical them to say and do such a thing to someone they consider their friend." He explained. "You shouldn't be annoyed by it because there will be a lot more of that coming in the future."

"Great, I can barely wait." I mumbled sarcastically and he chuckled again. I smiled at him.

"You're a really cool kid Jeremy." I told him and he nodded.

"Thanks, I guess you're cool too." He said and I laughed.

"You _guess_?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Well I don't know you yet but from what I've heard, you're Caroline's cousin from California and you came here because..." He trailed off. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I told him quickly and he stopped walking.

"Well here is the nurse's office. Have fun?" He said but it was more like a strange statement. I nodded and smiled at him.

"You too."

* * *

After explaining to the nurse about my situation she agreed on letting me rest in a small room right next to her office. I laid down on my side on the bed and looked at the door as the nurse closed it. She told me she had some errands to run and a meeting with the principal and that she would be back in an hour or so to check on me. The room had the smell of a hospital. Disinfected. On the walls there were posters about being safe and not taking drugs. I though I wasn't tired but soon my eyelids became heavy and my breathing slowed down and was in an even pace.

* * *

_I felt how the cold wind blew through my hair as I ran in the forest. I had to get away! I had to! I turned around, watching how close the creature had gotten. My legs were heavy and I couldn't run anymore. I felt the need to stop moving and when I did there wasn't any wind. I was confused by this. How could the wind just stop like that? I looked up in the dark sky and felt something cold touch my forehead and then something just the same fell on my bare shoulder. I looked down and noticed that I was wearing a gown of some sort. Like in the Renaissance or something. I lifted the hoop-skirt a little only to see that my feet were bare and bleeding a little. Then I heard the sound again. It was coming closer and I had to run again. But I was so tired... I couldn't run anymore... My feet... The shrill sound of a crow filled the air as I once again looked up, just barely seeing a shadow move across the sky. Once I looked in front of me again I gasped._

"_Get away from me!" I yelled as I put my arms in front of me to protect myself. The creature- the _man_- grabbed my wrists and chuckled darkly, his eyes black as the night._

"_No more running Steffy. No more running away from your destiny." And when his nails bore into my flesh and I screamed out in pain as I began to struggle, trying to get away from him._

* * *

I fell to the floor with a thud. My eyes flew open and I searched the room again trying to figure out what had happened.

"What are you doing on the floor, Miss Blake?" I heard a confused voice from the door. I looked up to see the nurse standing there again, with her jacket still on.

"I...I think..." I looked at myself and noticed that my legs were tangled in the blanket. _No wonder I had a hard time running_, I thought and then answered. "I fell of the bed when I fell asleep." I told her, embarrassed as she smiled at me.

"Oh it isn't the first time someone has done that. Are you feeling any better?" She asked me and I slowly nodded.

"I think I can go home now. I'm not dizzy anymore." I lied and she nodded.

"Alright then. I'll tell your friends if they stop by that you went home." She smiled and I nodded.

"Thank you." I said and walked out of the room. I quickly ran to the bathroom again and slowly lifted my long sleeves. I let out a sigh of relief as nothing had appeared on it. Maybe this had all been a dream and maybe I was just imagining things? I put all of my stuff together and walked home, trying to think of something else.

_Who is that girl? I_ heard a voice in my mind. My eyes drifted to the boy standing close to the school fence. _Wow, she's hot._ I closed my eyes as I felt how an incredible headache was on its way. I was nearly running at one point. Sweat beads were forming on my forehead and I couldn't control my breathing anymore. I stopped moving and supported myself against a tree on the side of the road.

"Are you alright Miss?" I heard a voice behind me. I gasped and turned around to see a man standing there wearing a pair of gardening gloves.

"Y-Yes." I told him, my voice shaking slightly.

"Are you sure? You look a little pale..." He trailed off and I just nodded.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine... Thank you..." I mumbled and ran away. My heart was pounding as I opened the door to the house and ran inside. I locked it and ran up to my room. I was alone and I knew it. I opened the bathroom and stepped inside, slowly removing my shirt and gasped.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_It happened again. I don't know if I should talk to someone but like I mentioned last time, I don't think anyone would believe me even if I had proof. I'm still alone at home. Liz called to check up on me because Caroline had called her worried because I had left alone. I told her I was fine even though I was struggling to stop the bleeding. I am for the first time in my life terrified. If this keeps happening I'm afraid something really bad will happen._

_I thought it was just a one time thing and freak accident, but then why would it happen again? Who is this mystery creature I am dreaming about? That is hurting me every night... The dream I had at the the nurse's office in school was horrible. I've had nightmares before but this was just crazy. How could the wounds in my dreams actually appear in real life? That isn't possible... I think the plan of me getting a job is fairly done for now. I can't go there and show up with scars on my wrists. People might think I'm hurting myself. I'm having a hard time writing this. The pain is almost unbearable. I know I need to get help. I know I can't hide the scars for much longer and I know that there isn't a single person in this world who might believe me. Dreams about human like creatures who drink blood. They'll just say "Hey, do you read a long of vampire books? Because that reminds me of one." or they'll just laugh at me and say I'm crazy. Scars on wrists, they'll think I'm hurting myself. Oh God! I don't know what to do! This must be a first time for me! I feel like I'm blocked inside a solid room and I can't get out. I want to tell someone... Maybe I should tell someone who I know wouldn't care? Why was the first person who came to mind Damon? Oh my God... I need to stop writing. Blood is actually dripping on the pages now and I don't feel like having all the words covered by blood._

_Goodnight and please send me someone who will help me and believe me..._

_Steffy_

* * *

_**No Point of View**_

In the Salvatore boarding house Damon was drinking a glass of blood while watching the TV when the door opened and both Elena and Stefan walked in.

"Damon." Elena said and walked over sitting down across from him. Stefan sat down next to her and Damon raised an eyebrow at them while taking a sip.

"What have I done now?" He asked sarcastically.

"Have you stayed away from Steffy?" Stefan asked and Damon nodded.

"Yes. At least today I have. Tomorrow, I don't know." He answered and Stefan rolled his eyes at him.

"Well today isn't over yet, is it?" Stefan said and Damon shrugged. Elena could see how the tension was building in the room and came up with another question.

"Stefan feels as if he recognizes Steffy from somewhere. We were wondering if you do too?" She asked and Damon shifted slightly.

"I do."

"From where?" Elena pushed.

"Have no idea." Damon answered shaking his head.

"Can you give me an answer with more than three words?" Elena asked annoyed and Damon shook his head.

"Nope." Damon smirked and stood up suddenly beginning to walk towards the door. "But I might as well pay the little girl a visit to see what she is up to and maybe find out something new about her." Stefan stood up too and ran up in front of him.

"She's a Blake Damon." He said and Damon froze.

"How do you...?"

"We found out today in history class. She told us all by herself." Stefan replied knowing Damon's question.

"Well that's interesting." Damon smirked as Elena walked up behind them.

"Can someone please tell me what the big deal about this Blake family is? Why have I never heard about them?" She asked confused and Damon rolled his eyes again.

"They were an old family in Mystic Falls but when they got betrayed by the council almost every one of them left. That's the short story and that's the only one we know so just stop asking about it." Damon answered. "As I said before, I am going to visit little Steffy and then we'll see what information_ I_ get out of her." With those words he walked through the door leaving both Stefan and Elena staring after him.

* * *

Once again Damon found himself outside of Steffy's window at night. He was sitting on the branch trying to hear if she was asleep or not but was shocked when the light suddenly was turned on. He just looked inside a little and saw Steffy sitting on her bed looking frustrated. He watched her as she gently brushed her fingertips against her wrists. For once in his life, Damon was confused. What was wrong with this picture? Then all of the sudden, he remembered._ Lily Blake_. He thought and just as he thought that name Steffy stood up and looked around.

"Is there anyone there?" She whispered, but it was loud enough for him to hear. He looked at her just for a moment before he saw her turn around towards the window. He jumped down in a flash and stood tightly against the wall as she opened the window to look outside. He could hear her heart beating but surprisingly, it was calm. "I know you're out there." She said a little louder. "I don't know how, but I do. And when you decide to show yourself to me, I wont judge you." She said and he felt himself relax a little. She knew he was there, so there was no reason to hide. Sheriff Forbes couldn't already have her on vervain so he could just compell her to forget everything. He jumped up at the tree again and looked her straight in her b- _blank eyes_. He was startled. What was going on? She was just staring out in space with her eyes open but they weren't brown like they usually were. No, they were gray. He tilted his head in confusion as she smiled and opened her mouth to speak.

"_I told you so Damon_." She said but it wasn't her voice either.

"Lily?" Damon asked confused and all of the sudden he saw Steffy's expression change. Her eyes closed and she began to fall forward and out the window. Damon reacted before he had a chance to think. He jumped and grabbed her as they both fell for the ground but he had her in his arms and landed softly on his feet. She was just wearing a oversized shirt and a pair of shorts. He jumped as soon as they hit the ground and they shot up again. He slowly got inside the house (he had already been invited once by Caroline before) and put her in the bed. He grabbed her blanket and pulled it on top of her as she moved a little. A strand of hair fell onto her face and he tilted his head to look at her. He gently brushed his hand against her cheek and put the strand behind her ear.

"No one can know..." He heard her mumble. He leaned closer, curiosity taking over. What couldn't anyone know about? He tried to pry his way into her dream but as soon as he did there was a lot of greyness. He couldn't look into her head! He backed away from her and stared. "No..." She whispered and he watched as her twisted in agony. For some reason he wanted to help her again but realizing what he had just thought about he backed away towards the window and jumped up going home. There was still a part in him though, that felt a little bad for leaving her behind and not helping her out of her bad dream, but he couldn't have changed it even if he wanted to because her mind couldn't- for some unknown reason- be penetrated.

* * *

**_A/N: So what did you think? Do I at least deserve some reviews maybe? :) The plot thickens... And the mystery of Steffy lives on ^^_**

**_Now go and review if you want me to write the next chapter faster! Don't forget to check in on my other stories ;)_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy_**

**ADDED NOTE: I have also changed Stephanie's last name to Blake. If you read her old one (Rivers in the future chapters, just remember I haven't had time to change it there yet! =)**


	6. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys! I know it's been a while on this story, but I have decided to continue with it now that I'm soon finished with Tough Love: The Return. As you all know this story will mostly be keeping to the series plots, which my other story (Tough Love) has not been doing entirely. I do however think I might need some time to re-watch the episode of season 1 to "get in character" with Steffy again. Of course, I do make up a few things here such as there being another founding family. And I might change the order of somethings here in the beginning. Like Vicki. She's obviously already dead here. Oh and if you need any reminding, Elena already knows about Stefan and Damon being vampires! That does however mean that in the next chapter, which is the one with the car-wash and Damon being locked up, I am going to make some plot-changes. Since Vicki is dead, I might be able to put in some Steffy/Damon moments of bonding...or arguing...or kissing...or whatever you'd want! ;) Just please take time and review! I need all the help I can get and I do appreciate your ideas!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**I OWN NOTHING!**_

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_These past few weeks have been awful. I have only been in Mystic Falls for three weeks and I already feel like I know everyone. I had to lie to aunt Liz and tell her I was sick so that I could stay home and try to fix my wounds and try to get them under control. The nightmares are getting worse and I don't know how much longer I can hide the scars and bruises. I feel like there is something inside of me that wants out but it can't seem to find the key to the exit. It feels strange and I just want to have someone to talk to._

_I am sitting in the school library, pretending to be writing an essay. So far, ten boys have come up to me and asked if I need any help. I have noticed that if I reply nicely, they just come back after a while with some new flirting methods. Speaking of flirting methods, I have to go now. I promised to meet Caroline by the Grill. We're having coffee._

_Steffy_

I closed my diary and put it in my bag to make sure I wouldn't forget it, as I walked out of the library. School had ended early for me but I decided to stick around and wait for Caroline when I had all of the sudden gotten a text from her saying that she already was waiting for me at the Grill. I quickly hurried to my car (that Aunt Liz had gotten transported for me from California) and got in before any of the guys that had been flirting with me earlier could get to me. I put the key in and drove off.

I walked into the Grill and noticed Caroline sitting in a corner drinking some coffee. As if on cue she looked up and saw me. She smiled and waved me over and I quickly walked over to her table.

"Hi Steph." she said excited.

"Hi Care, what did you want to talk to me about? You texted and said it was important." I asked slightly concerned. The thing about Caroline was that even though she told me that she and Damon had broken up, she had been spending a lot of time with him lately. She was getting more distant and sometimes acted really strange, like forgetting conversations that we had had or forgetting that she had been with Damon at all. It was really strange but she just said it was because they were such good friends and that only made me think there might be more to it.

"Yeah, I wanted to plan your outfit for the Founder's Party tonight-"

"Wait, what? What Founder's Party?" I asked her appalled. She looked at me strangely.

"At the Lockwood Mansion of course silly." she told me like it was nothing. "You need a date too by the way." I held up my hand for her to stop speaking.

"Caroline. I'm just telling you this once. I am _not _going to a party, and certainly not with a date." I told her and she pouted. "Who are you going with anyway?" I asked her raising my eyebrow.

"Damon." My heart jumped.

"What?" I asked, not sure if I had heard right.

"I'm going with Damon because I asked him to come with me." I looked at her confused.

"Didn't you break up with him?" I asked and she shrugged. "I'm guessing you're back together then." I said.

"I guess we are." she agreed, frowning but she quickly changed it back to a happier smile. "So, you _are _coming to this party and you are going to have a good time too Steph. Fine, no date, but you need to flirt around a little." she demanded and I sighed in defeat. I knew there was absolutely no way of changing Caroline's mind when she had it set on something.

* * *

The day passed fairly quick and very soon I found myself preparing for the party. Caroline had protested wildly when she had first seen my dress but I made her agree after a good couple of bickering hours. It was a long sleeved black dress that went down to my knees. It wasn't much but it was the only dress I had that would cover up the scars on my wrists. I had to agree with with wearing Caroline's accessories if she agreed to the dress, so here I was wearing a silvery necklace and a lot of silver bracelets and a couple of diamond stud earrings. When I was finished I was actually happy with the outcome and had to smile a little at myself in the mirror. I put on my black high heels quickly and descended the stairs. Caroline was downstairs waiting for me. She was wearing a beige dress that made her look childishly pretty but hot at the same time. She had a scarf around her neck and it was decorated with a flower that was a mix of beige and white. She turned around and looked at me and smiled widely.

"Okay. I actually like the dress." she admitted and I smiled back at her.

"I knew you would after seeing it on me." She just giggled a little and then smiled again.

"So I called Elena and asked her if she could pick you up here. Damon should be here in a minute and we can't both drive to the party with him." she said and I looked at her strangely.

"Why?"

"We just _can't_ alright!" Caroline snapped and I jumped slightly startled.

"My God Caroline. Take it easy, I was just asking..." I said, trying not to make such a big deal out of it. She let out a breath and smiled.

"Great." she said. "I'll see you later then." she smiled and walked out of the house. I walked up to the mirror and looked at myself again. I inhaled and exhaled while looking at my wrists. _Everything will be okay, _I thought just as someone knocked on the door. I grabbed my handbag and walked over to the door and opened it. Elena stood there smiling at me and I smiled back. Her hair was simply done and she was wearing a red and orange patterned dress that made her look very beautiful.

"Hi Elena." I said and she smiled widely.

"You look amazing Steffy." she said but frowned. "Why long sleeves?"

"Is it a problem? I could change" I began because I knew she would stop me.

"No! It looks great, I just didn't know you were the long sleeve type." she said and I squinted, smiling at her suspiciously.

"Are you sure?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Of course I'm sure." she smiled. "Let's go. Stefan is waiting in the car." she told me and I nodded locking the door.

"Not the long sleeve type?" I asked her while we walked to the car and she just laughed at me. Maybe I could survive tonight without making anyone suspect that anything was wrong with me.

Soft music was playing through the house when we arrived. I looked at Elena and at Stefan.

"Is this how wild the parties usually get here or are they trying to re-create a funeral?" I asked them sarcastically and Elena just laughed.

"This is how wild Mrs. Lockwood's parties get." she stated just as Mr. Lockwood spotted them.

"Hi Mayor Lockwood." Elena said smiling slightly at him.

"Hey guys." he smiled back at them. "Come on in." He said and Stefan nodded at him.

"Thank you." he said but for some reason it looked as if he had been hesitating. I smiled at the Mayor and stepped inside. I looked around to see if Caroline was there and I spotted her standing together with Damon. He was holding up a drink for her and she smiled at him before taking it. I frowned at her and looked at Elena and Stefan who watched them too. The two of them seemed to be on edge or something because they were eying Damon suspiciously.

"Excuse me for a second." I told them and they nodded while I walked up to Damon and Caroline. Damon smirked at me when I arrived.

"Well, well, well... If it isn't young Miss Blake." he said, his eyes glistening with mischief.

"Damon." I said curtly but turned to Caroline. "Care... You really shouldn't be drinking." I said reaching for her drink and she glared at me.

"Don't be such a buzz-kill." she told me and I glared back at her.

"Don't be ridiculous Caroline. I might just have to go and tell Liz." I told her and she narrowed her eyes at me, drowning the drink and smiling satisfied. "You're so childish." I told her rolling my eyes and turned to Damon. "And so are you. Don't you have anything better to do than dating my cousin and making her drink?" I asked him and he smiled amused.

"Do you want me to get _you _a drink Miss Blake?" he asked me flirtatiously and I glared at him.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked him and he smirked even wider.

"Little miss Stephanie has a temper." he mocked sounding amused.

"I swear to God Damon I might be smaller than you but I'll beat your handsome little face into oblivion if you don't shut up." I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh my God I can't believe I just said that." My eyes were wide and he looked at me strangely.

"Well that was a change of character." he stated and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." I apologized.

"I don't really believe that you are the apologizing type Stephanie-"

"Stop calling me Stephanie!" I exclaimed. "It's either Steph or Steffy but for you it's nothing." I told him when suddenly Caroline stepped forward.

"You can't talk to him like that Steph." she told me darkly. "You can't talk to my boyfriend that way." I looked at her confused.

"Caroline, you can't be drinking. You don't know what it can lead to-"

"I don't care what you say Steph!" Caroline exclaimed and I shut my mouth. Something was off here. Something was definitively off.

"Okay." I said quietly. "Goodbye." I told them both and walked away. I sat down on a chair in the hallway and glared out in thin air while taking a sip from my soda.

"_Who is that?_" A unfamiliar voice said in my head. My eyes twitched for a second and I put a hand to my head. "_She's hot!_" The voice exclaimed loudly and snapped my eyes open. My head was pounding.

"Hi." Someone said and I looked up to see a guy with dark hair looking at me. He was smiling at me confidently and I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow.

"Hi?" I asked unsure of what to say.

"You're the new girl, right?" he asked me. "Caroline's cousin?" he asked and I nodded standing up.

"Yes, are you one of her friends?" I asked, suddenly recognizing his voice. His voice was the same voice I had heard inside my head earlier.

"_Let's go with that._" I heard him say smugly. The strange thing was that he hadn't opened his mouth.

"Yes. I am." he lied and I tilted my head sideways and looked at him curiously.

"Don't lie to me." I said and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not lying." he tried but I shook my head.

"Why can't guys just be honest with me? Lying is such a turn off." I told him smugly and he sighed.

"Okay, my name is Tyler Lockwood. I might not be Caroline's best friend but I know her. We've known each other since we were kids. Honest enough for you?" he asked and I smiled.

"Yes." I smiled. "I'm Steffy but I have to go now, because I need to ambush my cousin in the bathroom and give her a piece of my mind." I told him motioning towards the bathroom where Caroline had just entered. "Bye Tyler, I'll see you around." I told him and walked away. I was trying to forget the fact that I had heard his voice inside of my head, but the thought just kept coming back to me no matter how hard I tried. I walked into the bathroom and saw Caroline standing above the sink.

"Caroline." I said in a hushed tone. I locked the door and walked towards her.

"Hey Steph! Are you enjoying yourself?" she smiled at me and I looked at her strangely.

"Are you kidding me? This is the _best_party I've ever been to!" She obviously didn't catch the sarcasm in my tone. "Look, Caroline. About Damon... There's something awfully wrong with him..." Caroline looked at me.

"How can you tell?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just _can_, Caroline!" I exclaimed. How could she _not _tell? It was obvious! Caroline decided to ignore me and looked at herself in the mirror instead. She began fixing her scarf when I noticed something on her neck... Was that a bruise? "Caroline, remove that scarf." I told her and she looked at me.

"No I wont. It'll ruin the look!" she exclaimed. I reached over and pulled it down slightly, revealing the bruised and slightly bloodied mark. She struggled to get my hands away. "Stop it Steph!" she yelled at me and I pulled back. I stared at her in pure shock.

"What the hell Caroline..." I trailed off. "Is Damon hurting you?" I asked her and took a step forward. She backed away from me.

"No he isn't..." she said, but she didn't sound so sure of herself anymore.

"Caroline what has he been doing to you?" I asked her angrily. I could feel the blood boiling inside of me. No matter how annoying I might think Caroline is, it didn't mean that I didn't love her. She is my cousin. She and her mom were the only family I had left in this world. I took another step forward. "This ends right now Caroline. I won't tell your mom now, but if this continues I will. _I'll _talk to Damon too, just to make sure that he understands that I know what he's doing." I walked off and unlocked the door to the bathroom and left Caroline behind me, begging me not to do anything.

I looked through the crowd of talking people, searching for Damon. I passed Stefan and Elena who tried to stop me, but I didn't even hear their words as they tried to speak with me. I found him in a hallway, looking at some old paintings. He was smirking to himself, sipping from his champagne glass.

"I need to talk to you." I told him and almost as if someone had sensed that this wasn't for others to hear, everyone in the hallways magically walked out, leaving me and Damon alone.

"Well what can this be about?" he asked, sounding slightly intrigued. I walked closer towards him.

"I know what you've been doing to Caroline." I spat out and in a second everything turned cold. Damon snapped his head towards me and smirked.

"What exactly is it that you think you know?" he asked me and I stared at him.

"You've been abusing her!" I told him and for some reason relief crossed his face.

"Oh..." I think I heard him say.

"If you _ever _hurt her again Damon..." I threatened. "I will tell everyone what you have done and they will lock you away for the rest of your life." I heard him chuckle as I turned around to leave. I couldn't prevent it from happening. He was quicker that I though and the the next second he had grabbed my wrist. I gasped in pain and turned around to pull his hand away. When he heard my gasp he had immediately let go of me and looked at me strangely. I put my other hand over the wrist he had grabbed and felt something wet seeping through the fabric. I removed the hand and noticed the red blood on my fingers. I realized the pressure must have made the scars re-open. I looked up, only to find Damon looking at his own hand in curiosity. I noticed the red blood on his fingers as well and panic rushed over me. _No, he cannot know! _He reached forward and grabbed my hand, pulling up my sleeve.

"Don't!" I said before I could help myself but it was already too late. He looked at the bandage that covered the scars. I pulled my hand away and pulled the sleeve down again. "Don't tell anyone what you've seen and I won't tell anyone what I've seen." I told him. He looked at me in a strange way.

"You hurt yourself?" he asked me and I shook my head immediately.

"What? No!" I exclaimed.

"Then what is that on your arms, covered in bandages?" he asked me smugly.

"I...I..." I didn't know what to say. "I don't know... I can't explain it... You wouldn't believe me if I told you..." I said quietly, hoping that he wouldn't even catch what I was saying. I decided to simply go back to the issue. "Stay away from Caroline." I told him and walked away, feeling him glare holes into my back.

I walked towards the exit when someone stopped me by standing right in front of me. I recognized the woman from somewhere but just couldn't quite place her yet.

"Hi, are you Stephanie?" she asked me while smiling politely. I looked at her and nodded.

"Yes," I said. "I'm sorry though, I don't really know..." I trailed off not knowing how to finish the sentence.

"Carol Lockwood." she said, shaking my hand.

"Oh. You're Mayor Lockwood's wife." I acknowledged and she nodded. She smiled at me.

"It is so good having one of the Blake' back in town. It's been a couple of years since we last had one stay here." I looked at her curiously but I just wanted to get away from the party.

"It's good to be here. However, I still haven't gotten used to the changes in my life since my mom died." I said it so bluntly that I even surprised myself. Mrs. Lockwood let out a gasp.

"That's right. I'm so sorry for your loss Stephanie." she said sadly.

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault." I told her, but I wasn't looking at her anymore. I past her, at Damon, who was pulling Caroline outside.

"How have you been settling here in Mystic Falls?" she asked me and I bit my lip.

"It's been good. Look I'm really sorry Mrs. Lockwood. I hope I'll get to see you again soon, but I really need to get going." I pushed past her, not thinking of how rude I was being but I just couldn't help it. I needed to get to Caroline. I ran outside and looked around. My heart was beating hard and my head was spinning. I knew there was something off with Damon. I just knew something was wrong. I ran towards the driveway where I saw Caroline picking something up from the ground. I ran to her, panting as I reached her.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." I told her. She stared straight ahead and then looked at me.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Her voice cracked and I looked at her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"What happened Care?" She just shook her head, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.

"I'm fine Steph."

"You're shaking..."

"I'M FINE!" I embraced her in a hug as she broke down crying.

"It's okay, Care. It's okay." I soothed her. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again." _Especially not Damon Salvatore_, I added in my mind.

* * *

_**So what did you think? I actually had a big part of this chapter written, I just finished it tonight and decided to hand it over to those of you who have been waiting for so long! =)**_

_**I hope you enjoyed it, please please please review! It helps a lot! All you other writers should know that ;)**_

_**Oh and if you have any questions, just ask and I'll answer as soon as I see them!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_ADDED NOTE: As I mentioned, I changed Stephanie's surname to Blake! In case someone missed that ;)_

_And don't forget that Lexi IS still alive here... She'll turn up eventually...I promise ;)_


	7. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hey you guys! So, it turns out that I suddenly got very inspired to write another chapter! Mostly because of the reviews I tell you, so if you want another one as fast as this one...well... *wink wink, nudge nudge***  
_

_**So, I hope you like this chapter!**_

_**Enjoy reading!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! Just my OC!**_

* * *

_"Stephanie..." someone said in a sing-song voice. "I know you can hear me..." I turned around and something flashed by me. Chills crept up my spine. A sound was heard from behind me. I turned around and screamed in horror. It was Damon, holding onto Caroline. Her head was twisted in_

_an unnatural way and her body was limp in his arms._

"_What have you done to her?" I screamed running towards them, but my legs kept getting heavier._

_He laughed menacingly and told me what I was fearing most: "The same thing I am going to do to you."_

I opened my eyes and jumped up. I looked around frantically for the little lamp on my nightstand. Finding the button, I finally turned it on and looked around the room. It was quiet. I bit my lip and sighed deeply. I had had the same nightmare ever since the night of the Founding Party. Ever since I had found Caroline outside, alone and confused. That was four days ago but the nightmare just kept coming back. It was always the same, Damon mocking me for not being able to save Caroline from him, threatening to do same thing to me. Sometimes however, our conversations changed. Sometimes it was him trying to help me obtain some sort of information on him... Like he was giving me clues...

I looked at the clock. _05.47_. Great. Still too early for school, but I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. Instead I decided to take out my diary-which I had been writing in more frequently since I arrived in Mystic Falls.

_Dear Diary,_

_Four days, four nights and always the same nightmare. What can I say? It's not as if I can control my dreams and just make Damon disappear. Although, I have heard that people usually dream of the thing they want most. Then why would I dream about Damon? It's not as if I want _him_. That douche probably thinks I do though... He has been trying to contact me ever since I confronted him at the party. He keeps asking questions about the bandages...questions that I can't answer..._

_All I want to know is how all of the thing that are happening to me are happening. How is it possible for someone to dream about getting hurt and then getting hurt in real life?_

I looked up from my diary and looked at the window. I could have sworn I had just seen a shadow there... Shaking the bad feeling off I looked back at the notebook in my hands. I let out a frustrated groan and shut it, putting it back in it's place. I stood up and walked over to the bathroom. I approached the mirror and looked at myself. A curl had fallen out of my sloppy bun and fallen into my face. I put it behind my ear and looked at myself again. Suddenly images began flashing back into my head... My mom in the hospital... The Doctors giving me the news... The funeral.

"I wish you were here." I whispered and swallowed. I washed my eyes with cold water and let my hair out before putting it up in a ponytail. I walked back to my room and over to my closet, pulling out my jogging outfit. At least I could get something done before school started. As I put on my clothes I noticed how the scars on the back were gone. The wrist-cuts were just barely visible and looked more like a mark after having slept with a wristband. I put on my running-shoes and stepped out of the room. First I had to check on Caroline. I slowly opened the door and looked through the spring. She was fast asleep and snoring lightly. I smiled to myself and walked downstairs. After writing a quick note in case Aunt Liz woke up, I left the house and put my ear-buds into my ears and turned on full volume. Then I began running.

An hour later I was back at the house. As I was stretching on the porch the door opened and Aunt Liz stood before me in a robe. I raised an eyebrow at her. It was probably the first time I had seen her out of her uniform.

"Mornin' Aunt Liz." I said, bending over to touch my toes.

"Good morning Stephanie." she said, watching me. "I got your note." she waved a piece of paper in her hand.

"Good, I left it for you in case you woke up."

"I'm glad you did, I would have been worried otherwise." I frowned and looked at her.

"How come?" I asked, holding my leg back. She sighed and shrugged.

"I know you don't really enjoy being here in Mystic Falls. I'm afraid you might run away." I let out a laugh even though it wasn't very funny.

"Where would I go Aunt Liz. I don't have anyone except for you and Caroline. You are my family now and I would never leave you." Aunt Liz smiled at me sadly.

"I'm both happy and sad that you feel that way. Sad because you don't have anyone else, but happy because you've been so accepting of the situation." I stopped and looked at her. I bit my lip and her eyes filled with tears.

"Your mother used to bite her lip when she got nervous." she said and I immediately stopped biting it.

"Really?" I asked, quite surprized. Aunt Liz almost never talked about my mom.

"Yeah. She almost chewed it off entirely after she met your dad." Aunt Liz laughed and I couldn't help but laugh too. Then I stopped and looked at her, feeling sorry for her for the first time since I arrived.

"I'm sorry. I know I haven't been the easiest person to live with. I'm moody and insensitive. I know you've lost your sister. I should be more-"

"No it's okay Steph." Aunt Liz said. "I've lived with Caroline and she's all of those things times three. I enjoy having you here. It's as if I see my sister all the time. You might not look like her, but you've got her personality traits." she said and walked over to hug me. Even if I knew I probably smelled from the long run I embraced her and smiled.

"I'm still sorry though." She just nodded and kept holding onto me.

"I know. You don't have to be anymore." She let go of me and pulled back slightly. "You need to jump into the shower." she said seriously and I laughed.

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Half an hour later I was all showered up and ready for school. I had put on some black jeans and a simple dark purple blouse. My hair was still damp but I decided to blow-dry it quickly. Bonnie was picking me and Caroline up. Caroline had suddenly decided that carpooling was much better for everyone. Getting into social-mode early was apparently good for me.

"You aren't social enough Steph." she told me when we exited the house.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, honestly confused. It wasn't as if I was a hermit. "I _am _social. I talk to Elena regularly. I talk to Jeremy, Bonnie and you too!" She gave me a duh-look.

"Yeah, obviously. However you need to talk to other people as well. Be more active in school events and such things. Like today!" I raised an eyebrow.

"Right- remind me again what's happening today?" She gasped.

"How could you have forgotten?" she asked. "It's the sexy suds car wash!" I tried looking confused but slowly a smile began spreading across my face. She punched me lightly on the arm. "Steffy! Don't play me like that!" she said and giggled.

"How would I forget Caroline? It's all you've been talking about for the past three days." Actually, the first day after the party she had been really confused about what had been going on with Damon. She refused to talk about it, acting as if nothing had happened. I had decided not to push her any further in the matter.

"So you've brought your bikini?" I nodded.

"However, I don't exactly think it's _sexy._" I told her and she shushed me.

"Oh please, you'd look good in a garbage bag!" she said as Bonnie pulled up and I couldn't help but laugh at that.

* * *

Then it was time. The Sexy Suds Car Wash. I walked to the locker-room awkwardly. I had never enjoyed walking around in a bikini in public. I usually wore a swimsuit but Caroline had insisted that I should buy myself something hot for the car wash. So there I was. Putting on my black bikini top when someone knocked on the door. How strange.

"I'll be out in a minute Caroline!" I said pulling a tight-fitting, thigh-long sundress above my bikini. I put my hair up quickly and rushed, throwing all of my things in my bag before opening the door and walking out. Unfortunately, I slammed straight into someone. A pair of arms shot out to steady me when I began falling. As soon as I felt my feet on the ground again I looked up, thankful. However, my smile quickly disappeared. "Damon." I stated bitterly. "What are you doing here? Trying to catch a glimpse of high-school girls in bikinis?" _Perv._

He chuckled. "Actually, I was looking for you." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"So you were trying to catch a glimpse of me...?" I trailed of.

"No!" he said quickly. Then he took a step back and looked at me from top to toe. "I do however think that you have been gifted with the legs of a goddess." he murmured and I felt the heat rise to my face.

"What do you _want_ Damon?" I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well you see, your cousin took a thing of mine after we...broke up." I looked at him.

"What kind of thing?" I asked him, even if I was pretty sure I already knew.

"A necklace. It's a pretty old one too so I don't know why Caroline would want it." I tilted my head sideways.

"Maybe she's into vintage now?" I suggested and pushed past him, walking towards the exit. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I dropped my bag and suddenly both of my hands were on his chest as he held me tightly against him. I pulled my head back because of the closeness.

"You need to help me get it back." he said in a quiet, but deadly tone. His breath mingled with mine. Mint, I thought subconsciously.

"And if I don't want to?" He chuckled at me.

"I don't think you want to know." That did it. I kicked him in the shin and he stepped back, shocked.

"Well, you can forget it. I won't help you obtain anything from Caroline. If you want your stupid necklace back, you should ask her." I grabbed my bag and began walking away again.

"What happened to the bandages Stephanie?" I froze and turned around.

"I don't know what you are talking about." I lied. He chuckled again and walked up to me again, taking my hand in a firm grip and turning it around so that he could see my wrist. His smug smiled quickly turned into a frown. The scars were gone. No trace of ever being there. He touched the place where they had been and I inhaled. It was as if currents were running through me, coming from the place he had his finger.

"It's impossible." he said, inspecting the place. "I _saw_ blood. I _smelled_ it." I raised an eyebrow and pulled my hand back.

"Maybe you were drunk." I suggested. "Have a good day, I have cars to wash." I said and walked away again. This time however, he didn't stop me. The scary thing was that I kind of wished he had.

* * *

"And here is another tip from one of the costumers." I said, handing over a five-dollar bill to Caroline. She let out a laugh.

"This is great Steph! You just keep pulling the cash in. I knew it was wise of me to but extra foam in your soap-water. Those older guys can't get enough of it." I had to laugh at her. I was the one that people constantly kept lining up for. At first I didn't understand why, but then I realized that they just enjoyed watching me wash their cars. I had to admit though, it was kind of creepy once when this older guy- probably like forty plus- offered me a quite generous amount of money to come and wash his car once a week. He was later escorted off of the premises for taking up a parking lot even after his car was washed.

"Well Caroline, I told you I was social. Maybe they just like my incredibly positive attitude." I winked and she let out a giggle.

"There's another car..." she trailed off and I turned around. It was a _1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible_ _, _light blue. The door opened and there stood Damon, wearing all black and smirking as our eyes met. I quickly turned back to Caroline.

"Can't someone else wash his car? Please Care!" she looked around as if trying to find someone who wasn't occupied but unfortunately everyone was already busy.

"I'm sorry Steph. You're the only one free." she said and bit my lip.

"God damn it all to Hell." I snapped and Caroline looked at me with eyes wide as saucers. "Just my luck, right?" I said and she shrugged.

"Just ignore him. Ask him if he wants his car washed-"

"Well he obviously wants his car washed since he came to a _car wash_ Caroline." I stated and she glared at me.

"Just think of him as a costumer. Not my ex-boyfriend." she said confidently. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and lock all this money up in my locker." she said and walked off holding the box with all of the money inside. I groaned in frustration and then walked off towards Damon and his car.

"Good day Sir." I said and then slapped myself mentally. Where had that come from?

"Good day m'lady." he said back. I couldn't tell if he was saying it to be polite or just to mock me. I'd go with the ladder since Damon is rarely polite, at least not to me.

"Do you want to have your car washed or not?" I snapped and he raised an eyebrow.

"I would actually." he said.

"That will be 20 bucks then." I said and he looked at me curiously.

"Can I trust you in doing this for me?" he asked, putting a hand on the hood. "This car is pretty special to me."

"Boys and their cars- there is no relationship that is as complicated as that one." I smirked and he glared at me.

"Just accept the job." he said. For some reason I had a feeling he wasn't talking about the car anymore. My thoughts flashed back to our meeting outside of the locker-room.

"I'll gladly wash your car Mr. Salvatore." I said over-excitedly. He walked closer to me.

"You know what I mean." he said, again with that dangerous voice of his. For some reason I couldn't help but smile.

"Can you please take a step back. You might get wet." I said and pulled up the bucket of water, intentionally spilling water on Damon's shoes. He looked down and looked back up to glare at me. I smirked. "Now, did you want your car washed or _not_?"

Twenty minutes later I had finished washing Damon's car. He had spent most of the time glaring on me from afar. I motioned to him to come over, which he did.

"That'll be twenty bucks Mr. Salvatore." I said, cleaning my hands on a towel. He pulled out the money and handed it over to me. I looked down and saw Benjamin Franklin looking back at me. I looked up at Damon again. "Wait here and I'll get your change-"

"Keep it," he said, interrupting me, "get the change and buy yourself something nice. See it as a gift for the favor you'll be doing me when you get my necklace back." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well she must have been a pretty special girl Damon." I told him and he looked at me confusedly.

"What?" I simply nodded.

"I've seen the necklace, Damon." I told him. "Caroline showed it to me the night you left her stranded. I offered to give it back to you but she declined saying that you were supposed to give it to her."

"Well she lied, but what does that have to do with someone being a special girl?" I gave him a duh-look.

"It's obvious that the necklace wasn't made for a guy. You're obsessing over it which means it probably belonged to some ex of yours. Thus, a girl- or maybe you prefer-"

"Fine, it belonged to a girl I knew once." he said, finally giving up.

"And she meant a lot to you?" I asked.

"Why do you want the information? You jealous Stephanie?" he smirked and I looked at him.

"Am not!" I said and smacked him on his arm. "I just want to know if I should get the damn necklace back to you." He sighed and looked around to check if anyone was listening to us. I had completely forgotten that we were in public.

"Yes. I liked her a lot." he admitted and I grinned in triumph. "Then she died and left me with nothing but the necklace your dear cousin _stole _from me." My grin disappeared and instead I frowned and bit my lower lip.

"I'm so sorry... I had no idea..." I mumbled, looking down in shame. How come I hadn't heard about this before? Caroline probably didn't even know about it herself. That's probably why she stole it in the first place! She would have never done it if she'd known the story behind it! That would be the only thing justifying it.

"Will you get it back for me?" Damon asked, shaking me out of my thoughts. I drew in a breath and looked up at him. Our eyes met and for a moment it was just Damon and I standing alone on the street. His eyes slowly traveled down. "You really should stop biting your lip Stephanie. It's quite distracting..." he whispered and I immediately stopped. His hand traveled up to one of the curls that was handing loose and much like I had done this morning, he put it behind my ear and then slowly pulled his hand back- making sure to brush his fingers against my cheek. I could feel my face heat up and yet I would never want to give him the satisfaction of making me blush. So I failed at that one because I could see the smirk slowly appearing on his face. I pulled back and looked away, both embarrassed and trying to find something to distract me.

"Will you do it?" he asked softly, pulling me back again. I looked at him and once again bit my lip.

"I'll try, but I wont make any promises." I told him. Then I handed him his hundred dollar bill. He looked at me befuddled. "Keep it. I'll pay for this one. Just remember that when _I _ask _you_ to get something back from my ex." I winked at him and then walked away.

"You sure are something Stephanie." he said, loud enough for me to hear.

"You know, you could just call me Steffy like everyone else." I told him over my shoulder.

"I'm hoping to hear from you soon then," he said and inhaled once, "_Steffy_." For some reason, I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

_Later that night..._

"_Please, please don't do this! Let her live! Take me instead!" I yelled at the creature that was holding Caroline. She wasn't dead- she _couldn't _be! She was just unconscious...but why was her head twisted that way? Oh God!_

_The creature turned around and began slowly walking up to me... I tried to run but my feet were glued to the ground. Except, there was no ground! I was being held up by the creature, it's long fingernails digging into my throat. I was choking. I let out a strangled cry but the creature just laughed menacingly at me._

"_Isn't thisssss funny..." the creature hissed. I closed my eyes, preparing myself to die. The creatures claws dug deeper into my throat-_

I jumped up, feeling as if someone had been strangling me for real. I looked around but saw that everything was as if should be. This night I had decided to leave the light on, just in case the nightmares came back. For the last couple of days it had been Damon that had been that horrid creature, but this dream was different. It hadn't been Damon. It was something else. Something that was inside of me. Something dark. I stood up and walked over to my bathroom with my hand against my throat. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw trickles of blood running down my throat and onto my shirt. I removed my hand and looked at it. The claw marks were pretty visible and my hand was completely covered in blood. I closed my eyes for a moment. It would take a lot to cover up these marks... If there was just a way to get rid of them entirely. I opened my eyes and looked at myself again before gasping in complete and utter chock. There were no marks anymore, just the blood that had trickled down before. I touched my throat again, but felt nothing. It was amazing.

My throat had healed.

* * *

_**A/N: So, what did you think? I really hope you liked it! Pretty please review! I need some response on this story!**_

_**Thank you so much for reading it!**_

_**I love you guys (in a non-weird way)!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**ADDED NOTE: For those of you who missed it, I have changed Steffy's surname to Blake and Lexi is still alive! I changed that too since I realized that Lexi will have a pretty big role in this story! Or at least a chapter...**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I have some awful news! The inevitable has happened; I lost all my files! So, for the last couple of days I have just been trying to remember everything I had written so far on this chapter and I know that it was totally different but I think the outcome is okay-ish. I hope you'll like it and I really hope I'll find my flashdrive (is it called that?) soon! Although, I wouldn't get my hopes up considering I think I lost it at school...**_

_**Anyway, this chapter is LONG (for me) and I hope you'll enjoy it!**_

* * *

A couple of days passed since the car wash. I had tried talking to Caroline about the necklace but she just wouldn't give it up. After an argument she asked me why _I _was the one so set on getting it back for Damon and I had just argued that I wasn't, but that I thought it wasn't very nice of her considering that the girl he had loved had died and that the necklace had been hers. Caroline had once again ignored me.

Later, I hadn't been able to sleep- or rather, I didn't _want _to sleep because I was afraid I might have a nightmare. Instead I had stayed up all night, contemplating why I was actually trying to help Damon. It wasn't as he had actually done anything nice to _me_ and he had _abused_ Caroline... That night I decided that I wouldn't really try as hard on getting the necklace back.

As for now, I was getting ready for dinner with the Gilberts'. Elena had asked me to join her, Jenna and Jeremy for dinner tonight, which I found quite odd. On the bright side, I would get to know Elena better and I would get to spend some time with Jeremy. He and I had been bonding for the last couple of days. It all began when we bumped into each other at the Grill a few days ago. He told me he was home alone and asked if I wanted to come over and play some video-games. I did feel weird at first, but it turned out pretty well in the end, since I totally beat him at _Mario Kart_.

As I was pulling on my black and white striped sweater, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." I said, pulling on my black jeans quickly. I walked over to my mirror and let out my hair out of the messy bun and finger-combed through it. "Hey Caroline." I said, as I saw her in the mirror. She looked at me with a strange expression. "Is something wrong?" I asked, turning around to face her as I began pulling up my hair in a ponytail.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked, and now it was my turn to look at her confusedly.

"I told you earlier today; Elena invited me over for dinner." I said and let my hair out again, frustrated.

"Leave it down, it suits you better." Caroline interjected and I nodded, leaving my hair down as I went on to apply some mascara. "Damon has been asking about you." I froze and turned around quickly.

"What?" She looked at me suspiciously.

"I thought I'd ask you why he is asking _me _ about _you_." Caroline stated. The suspicious look was still on her face. "Is there something going on between you and-"

"_No!_" I said quickly. "Caroline, listen." I put my hands on her shoulders. "I _swear_, there is _nothing_ going on between Damon and me. I love you to death and I would never do that to you." Her hard expression seemed to soften a bit.

"I love you too Steffy. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." she sighed and looked down. "If you and Damon like each other, I am not going to stand in your way-"

"I _told_ you there's nothing going on between us, Care. Besides," I smirked slightly,"he is far too annoying." Caroline let out a small giggle.

"Yeah sure," she agreed, "but once you've had a bite out of Damon..." she trailed off and just stared at me for a while until she smiled broadly. "But what's going on between you and Jeremy?" I looked at her startled.

"Um, nothing? We're just friends." I was really confused now.

"Yeah right." Caroline gave me a look. "You have been hanging out with him for like three days in a row now, and you're telling me you haven't-"

"Oh my God, Caroline, _no!" _I said, covering my eyes with embarrassment. "He's Elena's little brother! I would never..." Caroline smiled smugly.

"Well, why are you going to dinner with his family?" she pushed. I pulled on my black high heels as I answered.

"I'm going to have dinner with _Elena's _family. _She _was the one to invite me." I told her. "Don't read any deeper into this because there is nothing to read into. Jeremy and I are friends, period." She groaned loudly.

"Well you need to have some man-action." she whined.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "'Man-action'?"and she shrugged.

"You're life is boring." she told me as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Really?" I thought about my nightmares and all the freakish things that have been going on lately before shrugging. "I hadn't noticed." She raised her finger.

"You mark my words Steffy; you will need a man in your life, sooner or later." I chuckled.

"Rather later than sooner." She chucked a pillow at me before walking towards the door. I grinned widely at her as I stood up, fully dressed and prepared. "How do I look?" I spun around.

"Like a young respectable woman who is meeting with her in-laws." I threw the pillow back at her and laughed.

"Stop it Caroline, seriously." She smiled at me before embracing me in a tight hug.

"Thank you for being there for me when Damon was being a jerk." she said and I tried to hide the fact that I winced. She pulled back quickly and frowned. "Are you wearing extra layers underneath this sweater?" I nodded.

"I was feeling cold." I lied, before checking he watch. "I better get going. I need to be there by seven and it's already a quarter to." She nodded.

"Have fun."

* * *

I pulled up at Elena's house and checked the watch again. I was running late, which was note acceptable in my world. After Caroline's hug, I had had to check my bandages from my latest nightmare which took a few minutes. Then Caroline had to ask me for a lift to the Grill, and now I was here, ten minutes late. I grabbed my bag quickly and hurried towards the house, just as my phone began ringing. I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" I asked.

"_Good evening, my beautiful Stephanie._" I frowned.

"Damon? How the hell did you get my number?" I asked him and he chuckled. I hadn't seen or heard from him for the last couple of days and now he was suddenly calling me?

"_Don't you mind that._" he answered. "_Have you gotten my necklace back yet?_" I sighed.

"No Damon, I haven't. Caroline won't give it to me. Maybe you could just..."

"_Just what, Steffy?_" he snapped annoyed, which made me frown.

"No. I was going to suggest that you just get it back yourself but then I remembered what an self-absorbed asshole you are." This seemed to amuse him, because he chuckled into the phone.

"_You love me._"

"No, I don't."

"_Yes, you do._"

"Good bye Damon."

"_Get my nacklace back-" _I hung up on him. Seconds later I got a text from him saying how "It's not nice to hang up on people", but I ignored that and knocked on the door instead. Jeremy opened it and hugged me as a greeting before telling me to join hem in the kitchen, since the food was already ready.

* * *

This was probably the most awkward dinner I had ever been to. No one was saying anything at all. Jeremy was eating calmly, Jenna and Elena kept exchanging glances and looking at me for some reason. I tried talking about school, but that conversation ended quickly too. I played with my food for a while until Jeremy stood up and excused himself to go and do something. As soon as he was out of the kitchen Jenna and Elena looked at me.

"What?" I asked. Jenna smiled widely.

"Is there something going on between you and Jeremy?" she asked bluntly and I choked on my water.

"Excuse me?" I coughed. I looked at Elena. "You can't be serious? Have you been talking to Caroline?"

"Maybe..." Elena answered, trailing off. I groaned.

"Please, _stop_. There is nothing going on between me and Jeremy. We are just friends." I told them and Jenna sighed sadly.

"Are you sure? I really like you and I hoped that you might help him get over Vicki..." I scoffed.

"Did you want me to be his rebound-girl?" I laughed and Jenna blushed.

"Oh, I didn't mean..."

"I'm just kidding Jenna." I told her. "I can help him get over her by being his friend too you know? And besides," I turned to Elena, "he's your brother. It would be too weird for me." She smiled back at me.

"Well, thank you for your honesty." She said and Jenna groaned, putting her hand over her head.

"Oh, I am so embarrassed. I can't believe I just asked you if you were into my nephew." She blushed even deeper and I just chuckled.

"It's okay, Jenna. Don't worry about it." I told her, just as Jeremy walked in.

"Worry about what?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Girl talk, Jer." I told him and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Sure." he replied. "Hey, Steph, do you want to play some video-games in my room? I'll even let you beat me this time." I laughed at him.

"Yeah, right. As if I need you to let me win." I scoffed, standing up. "You don't mind that I beat your brother at a game, do you Elena?" I asked and she shook her head.

"You two go ahead." Jenna smiled. "Elena and I'll clean up the kitchen-"

"Wait, I can help." I said, realizing how rude I was being, but Jenna put up a hand to stop me.

"No, it's okay. You might be the first one to actually beat him at his silly games, so I'll let you go..._this time_." she smiled.

"Does that mean I'm invited back for yet another dinner?" I asked, smiling widely at her.

"You, my friend, are invited to stop by anytime." Jenna said, raising her glass to me. "Especially since you help me keep Jeremy in check." Jeremy rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand.

"Let's go Steph." he said, pulling me along upstairs. I laughed, turning around to wave at Jenna and Elena, who watched us with amusement.

* * *

"I am so kicking your ass at this!" I exclaimed after half an hour of playing games.

"Sure. You just keep cheating." Jeremy said, pushing me lightly with his elbow.

"Stop trying to distract me!" He laughed at me.

"You always get so competitive." he said and I paused the game.

"Hey, you have just gotten to know me so you don't have any right to tell me that I'm competitive." I told him sternly and he looked at me strangely until I laughed. "I'm just joking. Gosh, you people are way too serious sometimes." He laughed and we continued to play for a while longer until Jeremy paused the game.

"So what did Jenna and Elena say when I walked out of the kitchen?" he asked and I turned to look at him.

"It wasn't anything important." I told him and he shot back with a look. I sighed, giving in. "They asked me if there was something going on between the two of us. Caroline asked me the same thing earlier tonight." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What gave them that idea?" he asked and I shrugged.

"They just noticed that we have been spending a lot of time together lately. They just assumed..." I looked at him for a while and he stared back at me. "Do you mind if I..." I trailed of, realizing how stupid my idea was.

"What?" he asked and I chuckled.

"I thought that we could kiss and see if there is anything to the idea they have gotten." I said and he chuckled too.

"Okay? I don't see anything wrong with that." he said and began leaning in, closing his eyes. I closed mine as well and a moment later I felt his lips against mine. It didn't take long for us to smile into the kiss and to pull away. We grinned at each other and then burst out laughing.

"That was _so_ weird!" I said and he laughed.

"It felt as if I was kissing my sister!" he chuckled. I grinned at him.

"Felt exactly the same." I told him.

"Like kissing your _sister_?" I laughed.

"Yes." He punched me lightly on the shoulder and we continued playing video-games. I once again kicked his ass.

* * *

A few days later, I was laying in my room staring up at the ceiling. The door opened and Caroline stepped in.

"Steffy, are you ready for school?" she asked and I nodded, standing up.

"I'll just get my bag." I told her and we walked out together. I yawned loudly in the car and Caroline looked at me strangely.

"Have you been getting any sleep at all lately? You look terrible."

"Gee, thank you Caroline. You're always so sweet." I said sarcastically. I rubbed my temples as my phone began to buzz. I rejected the call and Caroline frowned at me.

"Since when are you anti-social?" she asked me.

"I think you've already told me that I'm anti-social on several occasions so I don't see why you're so surprised." I told her. "I'm sorry. It's just that this Halloween party is having me all jumpy." I lied.

"Why?" she asked and I shrugged. "I just don't like parties that much." That was true. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to dress up like! And the party is _tonight_." Caroline laughed.

"Oh I have your outfit all planned out Steph." she told me and I raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What am I going as?"

"You'll see when we get home." She pulled up by the school and parked the car. She turned around, pulled put a few bags and handed them over to me.

"What is this?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"Bonnie's costume." she said.

"_You _decided what Bonnie should wear too?" I laughed and she shrugged.

"Why are you so amused?" she asked.

"Because then I wont be the only one who has to walk around with something someone else chose for me." She smacked my shoulder and we stepped out before walking towards the school. In the hallway we met Bonnie who walked up to us.

"I have got your costume." Caroline said happily, pulling it out. "It's all here." She handed the bag over to Bonnie who took it out.

"Seriously?" she asked as I looked at the witch-costume in her hands.

"What's wrong with that costume? I think it's pretty charming." I told her and Bonnie smiled.

"Yeah, except for the fact that my Grams is telling me that I'm a witch." I bit my lip.

"That's...cool?" I said and she shrugged.

"It's weird."

"Come on!" Caroline exclaimed. "Can someone please be excited that it's Halloween? I just wanna have fun you know? Just some silly, fluffy, Damon-free fun." she huffed, crossing her arms. Bonnie gave her a small smile and looked down at her outfit before pulling something out. I gaped at the necklace in her hand.

"Hey, isn't this the one you got from Damon?" she asked, holding up the necklace. Caroline nodded.

"Yep. Wear it, toss it, I don't care. I just want it gone." I gaped at her.

"Are you serious Caroline?" I asked her and she looked at me strangely again. "I have been begging you to give it to me and you have refused me at least a hundred times and now you just _hand it over _to Bonnie?" Caroline shrugged.

"It went well with her costume." I glared at her and she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be bitter darling, it provokes wrinkles." she told me before strutting off. I kept glaring at her until she was out of my view. I turned back to Bonnie who looked at me.

"Well, do you want me to give you the necklace?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No. It's okay. You can keep it until after the party." I told her and she smiled.

"What are you dressing up as?" I shrugged.

"Caroline is surprising me." We began walking towards class.

"I can't wait to see how that turns out."

* * *

At lunch I hurried out of the building. I had eleven missed calls from the same number... I dialed it and waited as I hid behind a container.

"You have been avoiding me." I jumped, hearing the person I was trying to call beside me.

"Oh my God, Damon." I exclaimed, putting a hand over my chest. "What the hell is wrong with you? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Well, if you would have just answered my calls, I wouldn't have had to show up here at school and scare you half to death, which by the way wasn't my intention." he said and put one of my loose curls behind my ear with his finger.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't exactly answer in class now could I?" I snapped. "If you're going to call me, call me when you know I'm home. I'm sure you already know my schedule because you seem like quite the stalker." He took a step closer to me.

"Is that what you want to believe? That I'm stalking you?" He grinned and I shot him a glare.

"Just stop calling me all the time." I told him.

"Have you gotten the necklace back?" he asked and I shook my head. He glared.

"But I do know where it is now and I am getting it back after tonight." He grinned again.

"You have been such a good girl." he said and patted my head.

"Stop degrading me!" I snapped and slapped his hand away. "I didn't do it for _you_, I did it for Caroline and me. Now you can finally stop harassing us both." He smiled at me and traced his finger over my jawline. I ignored the electric currents that passed through my body at his touch.

"Is that what you think I've been doing?" he asked.

"It's what I _know_ you've been doing." I replied. "The sooner I get the necklace back from Bonnie, the sooner I'll be rid of _you_." I pushed him away from me and began walking off, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Bonnie? What does she have to do with this?" he asked, holding me close to his body. I had to lean my head back so that our noses wouldn't touch. I had no idea he was so strong...

"Caroline gave her the necklace for her costume tonight. After everything I've gone through to get it from her she just decides to give it to Bonnie. I'm kind of pissed at her for that." I said and stared into his icy eyes.

"Mhm..." he mumbled and his eyes flickered down for a second before looking back up to meet my eyes. "The red lipstick suits you well Stephanie." he told me and I felt the heat rise in my face. Did he just look at my lips?

"Thank you, can you please let go of me now? Or should I just tell my Aunt about this sexual harassment?" He smirked at me and slowly his grip on my arms loosened.

"Sexual harassment, eh?" he asked. "I didn't know things had gone so far between the two of us. Our relationship just keeps developing-"

"Stop." I told him curtly. "Don't make this out to be something that it isn't. You and I aren't friends. I felt sorry for you and that is why I agreed to help you get the necklace back. After I give it back to you, I want nothing more to do with you. Lose my number and never speak to me again." I told him. "Good bye Damon." This time, he let me walk away.

* * *

I stood in my room, all dressed up for the party. I had laughed when Caroline revealed my outfit. Apparently she thought it was funny to mess with my childhood obsession and picked out a Batgirl costume for me for tonight. To make things clear it was Batman I was obsessed with, but I always wanted to be either Batgirl or Catwoman so that I could be close to him... embarrassing. Anyway, Caroline had spent the last couple of hours helping me get ready for the party. She even fixed my nails in a "Batgirl-way" (I believe that was the way she phrased it). I put on my high-heels and inspected myself in the mirror. It was a pretty cool costume, but I didn't like the fact that it was so short... It made me feel kind of uncomfortable knowing that there was a risk of having the scars on my back exposed, but luckily I had managed to cover them up nicely.

"You ready?" Caroline asked. I nodded. I looked at her costume.

"So you and Bonnie are both going dressed up as witches?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yes."

"And remind me once again why I am going as Batgirl?"

"Because you need to look hot to _get _hot with someone." she stated and I grinned, winking at her before walking out. I just hoped I would be able to keep up the act when I got to the party.

* * *

People were dancing _everywhere_. I pushed myself through the crowd, trying to find Caroline who I had lost the second I turned my head sideways.

"Watch where you're going!" a girl in a skimpy outfit yelled over the loud music.

"My bad." I said angrily. "By the way, I think you forgot that this is a costume party, not Hooters." She glared at me and I grinned triumphantly. I kept walking, looking around every once in a while, but the darkness made it really hard to see anyone's face properly. I gasped when someone put their hands on my hips. I quickly slapped them away and turned around to punch the person in the face but froze when I met a pair of icy eyes.

"Damon?" I asked and he grinned, once again putting his hands on my hips. Yet again I slapped them away. "What are you doing here?" I glowered at him.

"I came to see to it that you get my necklace back." he said, his face slowly inching closer to mine as he grinned wider. "Although, I think I'm going to stay around just to watch you walk around in this _wonderful_ costume." I frowned at him. "My sweet, sweet Stephanie. You didn't have to get all dressed up for me." His hands trailed up and down my arms as his eyes traveled over my body. I jerked away from him.

"_What_ are you doing?" I hissed at him. "I thought I told you to leave me the hell alone?"

"But I enjoy your company, Steph." He winked at me and I pushed him away again when he moved closer to me.

"You barely know me." I told him and walked away.

"Oh please, you can drop the 'I-don't-like-you-act.'" he told me as he followed.

"It's not an act. I _don't_ like you."

"Prove it." I rolled my eyes at him.

"If you're going to do the most cliché thing ever and ask me to kiss you, I'm sorry to break it to you, but _no_." I said. "Besides, I'm into someone else." I lied. I walked over to the snacks table and looked for Elena or _someone_ I knew that could save me from Damon.

"Oh really? Who?" I shrugged.

"Not really any of your business."

"You're lying through your _teeth_." he grinned, once again stepping closer to me. "Come on Batgirl, one kiss." I shook my head and looked over the people in the room again. Finally I spotted Jeremy.

"So you don't believe me when I tell you that I'm not interested in my cousins abusive, manipulative, self-absorbed ex-boyfriend?" I asked him and his grin turned into a frown. "Well, what do you say about _this_?" I walked over to Jeremy.

"Hey Jer." I said.

"Hey, Steff-" I didn't let him finish his greeting because I had already pulled him in for a kiss. He looked at me confused but then began kissing me back. I opened my eye and looked at Damon, who was standing just a few feet away, fuming. I pulled away from Jeremy and grinned. Damon stepped towards us and I was shocked by what he did next. He grabbed my wrist roughly and pulled me away from Jeremy.

"This is _not_ over." he growled and I looked at him confused.

"It seems like it is to me Damon. I want _nothing _to do with you. Leave the people I care about alone." He stepped closer to me. I could feel his cool breath on my lips.

"This is not over." he repeated and walked off. I watched him leave and when I blinked he had disappeared into the crowd. I bit my lip. Why was my heart racing like crazy? I walked back to Jeremy.

"Hey, sorry about that." I told him and he looked at me confused.

"Yeah, what exactly was that?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Oh, you know, the usual. And ass made a move, I tried to get rid of him." He chuckled.

"By kissing me?" I raised an eyebrow and he took a sip from his drink.

"Yeah. I said sorry you know." I told him and he laughed again.

"I heard you the first time." He said. "Although, next time you're going to make some guy jealous, try giving me a heads up first. I might be able to play along better." I smacked him on the arm.

"I was _not _trying to make Damon jealous." I told him.

"Yeah, well he looked kind of jealous, so I'm guessing 'mission accomplished'?" I once again smacked him. "I'm just joking Steph."

"I know you are." I smiled at him and embraced him lightly. "Just promise not to tell Caroline, Elena or Jenna about that kiss. I don't want them to think something that is not true." He nodded.

"Wouldn't dream about it. If people knew we've kissed like two times now they would probably think we were together, and I can't let anything mess up my game." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your _game_?" I snickered. "Sorry to tell you, but you don't have game." Now he smacked me. "And you're abusive!" I laughed.

"Well, it's not as if you have anyone." he told me. "And I'm _not _abusive." Suddenly someone grabbed my arm.

"Steffy, I've been looking everywhere for you." Bonnie said. Her eyes were wide and I looked at her worriedly.

"Is everything okay Bon?" She shook her head.

"Damon just tried to rip the necklace off of my neck and something _strange_ happened." she whispered in my ear.

"What happened?" I asked.

"He got _burned_. Literally."

"I don't think I understand..." I trailed off, noticing Damon walking towards us. I glared at him.

"Never mind, I need to go home." she said and hurried off. Damon sped up, obviously trying to catch up to bonnie, but I stood in his way.

"Leave her alone Damon." I told him and he glared at me.

"Get out of my way Steffy." He snapped.

"Leave Bonnie alone Damon. I told you I would get your necklace back after tonight. I _promise_. Please, just be nice for once." His angry face slowly faded away and was replaced by a grin.

"I might be nicer if _Batgirl_ showed me how to behave..." he began leaning in, pulling me close to him.

"Let go." I said, but it came out as a whisper. He put his lips on my neck and began kissing me there. "Let go...Damon..." I closed my eyes for a moment until I realized what was going on. Damon was trailing kisses along my neck. I pushed him away, took a step back and punched him- straight in the face. I gasped when I realized what I had just done. "Oh my God." I said. "I need to go." I said and turned around. I ran off towards the exit. Caroline stopped me, just as I was stepping outside.

"Where are you going?" she asked me.

"I'm going home. I don't feel so well." She nodded.

"I'll take you home." she said, pulling her bag up on her shoulder.

"No, it's okay. Just stay and have fun. I'll call you when I get there."

"Are you sure?" I nodded. I began walking home slowly. My high-heels clicked against the pavement as I picked up my pace. There was someone following me. I could feel it in my bones. It wasn't that typical feeling you got when you walked home alone after a party... This was the real deal. I saw a shadow coming closer and closer... I was almost home... almost home... I sped up slightly. I could take whoever it was. I had just punched Damon in the face for God's sake! I felt the person coming closer and closer, when suddenly a car pulled up.

"Steffy? Why are you walking home alone?" I let out a breath and turned around, embracing my lovely Aunt that had decided to show up just in the right minute.

"Aunt Liz, I love you." I told her. She looked at me confused.

"Why are you walking home alone?" she repeated.

"I left the party early because I wasn't feeling well."

"Caroline let you leave all alone? After all these animal attacks?" Liz looked disappointed so I quickly covered for Caroline, telling her that I had just wanted to walk home alone. Liz didn't push it but she drove me home. I asked her if she had seen anyone else walking behind me but she just told me that she hadn't seen anyone...which was strange...

* * *

I got out of the Batgirl costume and washed off the make up. I put on my PJ's and laid down on my bed. I quickly wrote down all that had happened today in my diary and then hid it underneath my bed again. Just as my eyes began closing, my phone began to buzz. I groaned and answered without checking the caller-id.

"Hello?" My voice was hoarse.

"_Why the sexy tone?_" I rolled my eyes.

"You're stalking Damon."

"_I'm not, but you love it._" I bit my lip.

"That's why I punched you, right? Because I love it so, so much." Damon chuckled.

"_Yeah, about _that_. If that happens again,.._" He trailed off.

"I'm guessing you'll break my arm." I said honestly.

"_No... I've told you that I'm not abusive._" I laughed.

"Yeah. Tell that to the bruises on Caroline's body."

"_Maybe we just enjoyed the kinky stuff?"_ he suggested and I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks.

"FYI, I don't really enjoy hearing about my cousins sexual preferences." Now he laughed.

"_Is it because they are so similar to yours? I'm up for pretty much _anything_, Stephanie._" he purred. Once again, I bit my lip. _"So, what are you wearing?_"

"Damon, stop being childish and let me sleep." I told him.

"_Are you wearing those cute, clack, shorts and the 'I heart chocolate' shirt?_" I looked down at my clothes.

"Are you outside my window watching me?"

"_Do you want me to be _inside_ watching you?_"

"You are starting to freak me out now. Good night." I was just about to hang up when he stopped me.

"_You haven't even apologized for punching me in the face_." I sighed deeply.

"Well, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"_You're forgiven...This time. Good night and please try not to dream about me._" he said and I laughed, even though I knew I shouldn't. Why did we have such mood swings with each other?

"Oh I'll dream about you alright." I said. "And I'll trail kisses all over your body..." He stayed quiet, but I sear, I heard him let out a breath. "And then I'll kill you."

"_Steffy. I thought we were finally getting somewhere!_" he whined.

"Well Damon, I've dated your type before and it never turns out good. So now, will you please let me sleep? I haven't been able to for the last couple of days..."

"_Is something bothering you Steph?_"

"You are." I sighed again. "Now good night."

"_Good night Batgirl_." I hung up and put the phone on my nightstand table. I yawned loudly and tried to fall asleep, but for some reason, I just couldn't...

* * *

_**A/N: well, I hoped you enjoyed reading! Please review!**_

_**And for those of you who missed it, I changed Steffy's surename to Blake because I liked it better! =) **_

_**This is the link to Steffy's outfit for her dinner with the Gilbert's: www .pol /mtb /set?id= 62193988 (Remove the spaces!)**_

_**Link to Steffy's costume: www . / batgirl_for_halloween_chapter /set?id=67125245**_

_**Please, please, please review and tell me what you think!**_

_**Lots of love!, my computer is dying!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Hey! I'm back again, for yet another chapter of Meant to Be! I got a couple of reviews on the last chapter and a couple of follows and so on, so I decided to reward you guys with this one!**_

_**As you know, I changed Stephanie's surname to Blake and I changed a part of a previous chapter so that Lexi is still alive! This chapter takes place during "162 Candles" so here we have LEXI! Yay!**_

_**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review!**_

* * *

I groaned loudly as I sat down by the table. Caroline, who was eating her breakfast, looked over at me.

"What's up with you?" she asked and I groaned again, putting my fingers to my temples.

"I have a horrible headache." I told her and she snickered.

"Really? How come?" I closed my eyes for a moment.

"I don't know. I haven't been able to sleep properly the last couple of nights. I've been having nightmares." I was being honest...in a way.

"Well, eat your breakfast and let's get going. We need to go shopping." she told me. I couldn't help it; I groaned.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I feel like it. Let's go Steph, please?" I couldn't help but laugh at the look she had given me.

"Sure. I'll come with you. I just need to get ready. Make me a sandwich, I can eat it on the way." I ordered and walked upstairs again. I quickly pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a white shirts. Just as I had changed my shoes to my most comfortable white sneakers my phone began to ring. I checked the caller-id and picked up.

"Good morning Damon." I said as I walked up to my mirror.

"_Good morning to you too Sunshine._" he laughed and I couldn't help but smile slightly. "_What are you up to this morgning? It's Saturday right? You don't have school?_" I let out a dry laugh.

"I almost wish I had. Caroline is forcing me to go shopping with her. I have no idea why though..."

"_Interesting._" he said. "_Is lingerie on the list?_" I once again laughed.

"If you were here, I would smack you." I said.

"_Don't forget to get something black. It's my favorite color_."

"I don't really count black as a color and besides, I am not getting lingerie." He snickered. "To change the subject; don't mistake my niceness for anything else than me being civilized."

"_Is that why the two of us have been talking over the phone for the last couple of nights? Because you're trying to be civilized?_"

"Yes." I mumbled into the phone and grabbed my black leather jacket.

"_Really, so you punching me in the face was civilized?_" I mocked and I let out a groan.

"Please Damon. You know that I've apologized five-hundred times already. I still don't know what came over me."

"_So you tell me. I however, think differently._" I closed my eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, I know. You think it's the 'unbelievably strong sexual tension' that has me going 'crazy'." I said, quoting what he had told me the night before.

"_I don't understand how you don't agree. It's pretty obvious._"

"Mhm..." I mumbled. "Look, I really need to go. Just remember, don't-"

"_-tell anyone, especially not Caroline, that we have been having phone-sex three nights in a row._"

"Damon!" I hissed and he laughed.

"_You know I'm just joking... Although we could put some truth to my joke... What are you wearing?_"

"Good bye." I hung up on him and walked downstairs to find Caroline waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"I couldn't find my bag." I lied as we finally stepped out of the house.

* * *

A few hours later we were in the Grill, having lunch together. I wasn't feeling very well. I had spent the last couple of hours trying desperately to stay awake while Caroline tried on dress after dress.

"Have you talked to Bonnie since the Halloween party?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Of course! She's my best friend." Her exclamation made a few people turn around to look at us.

"Okay, just keep your voice down." I said calmly. "Did she say anything about the necklace? She was supposed to give it to me after the party, but I left early so..."

"She hasn't mentioned it, but maybe you should talk to her about it?" Caroline suggested.

"Maybe I will." I smiled. I bit my lip as I saw Damon walk into the Grill. "Hey, I just remembered something. I'll be right back." I told her and she nodded as she began reapplying her lip-gloss. I hadn't actually seen Damon in person for a while, but I kind of felt like I needed to talk to him. I was feeling confused too. I didn't really know where we stood considering I had told him to stay away from me multiple times, but considering that he had been calling me almost every night since the party and _not_ been _awful _I also felt as if he had grown on me a bit...

"Hello Batgirl." he said as I approached.

"Hey," I said confused, "how did you know it was me? You didn't even turn around." I said, a small smile playing on my lips.

"I recognized your walk." I gave him a skeptical look.

"I have a walk now?" I asked.

"You walk confidently. There's a bit of pep to your step." He turned around and our eyes med for a moment. He eyed me from top to toe and then grinned. "And you're still as pretty as ever." I hushed him.

"Caroline might hear you." I said quietly. "I just wanted to tell you that I'll talk to Bonnie about the necklace and that I'm hoping she'll give it back to me." I said and he smirked.

"You've been such a good girl." he told me and I sighed.

"Look, Damon," I began but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to say what I wanted to say. I wanted to ask him if he and I would still be...friends, or whatever we were at this point. "I need to go. I'll see you around." I smiled briefly and awkwardly walked away, back to Caroline. I told her that I had to go and visit Bonnie. She agreed, telling me that I should get my things together. I called Bonnie as I walked out of the Grill and told her I was on my way.

A couple of minutes later I was at Bonnie's house. I knocked on the door and Bonnie opened it, pulling me inside quickly.

"Steffy, before you say anything, I need to talk to you." Bonnie said, pulling me upstairs to her room.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" I asked her as she locked her door.

"I have already shown Elena, so she's in on the secret." she said cryptically. I stared at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked and she pulled out ripped pillow. "What is that?"

"Elena's pillow." she stated, almost as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Why do you have Elena's pillow and why is it ripped?" Bonnie threw all the feathers on the bed.

"I ripped it up this morning and I told Elena that I'll fix it, but I'll probably just buy a new one. Anyway, I need to show you something because this is a really big part of who I am."

"Bonnie. Please just tell me what's going on." She nodded.

"Okay. So," she began, "there are no open windows, no fan and no air conditioning at all, right?" I looked at her.

"No, but why would that-"

"Just watch." She put her hands up and began moving them. I waited patiently as she concentrated. Very soon, something happened. One of the feathers began to levitate. I backed away a bit as I looked at it.

"Oh my God." I whispered as Bonnie let her hands fall down, smiling at me as the feather fell down as well. Soon, all feathers flew up in the air and began levitating all around us. I bit my lip and reached forward to touch one of them. It bounced against my fingers and spun slightly. I began to laugh. "This is amazing." I told Bonnie, who smiled at me.

"It's true Steffy. Everything my Grams told me is true." Bonnie said. "She showed me this earlier today... It's true. I'm a witch." I bit my lip to keep myself from smiling.

"It's so strange. I shouldn't believe you. I should tell you that you're crazy, but something inside of me is telling me that it really is true." I told her. "I believe you." She smiled and embraced me.

"So, now that you know my secret," she said, "what did you want to talk about?" My smile slowly faded.

"I don't really know how I'm going to follow up after your revelation, but I was going to ask you for the necklace Caroline gave to you?" Bonnie's smile faded as well.

"I'm sorry Steffy," she said, "but I can't give that back to you." I was confused.

"Why?" I asked. "It's not as if you're stuck with it or something." Bonnie lifted up the necklace from her neck. "See, it's right there. You promised I could have it." I told her. I couldn't believe I had missed the fact that the necklace had been hanging around Bonnie's neck all along. Maybe it was the fact that she had just revealed to me that _witches_ actually existed and that one of my best friends was one.

"I know I promised you could have it, but I really can't give it to you." Bonnie tried again. I was getting frustrated.

"Why not?" I pressed. She gave me a look.

"Why do you _really_ want it Steph? It's not as if you wanted it before." I swallowed. I didn't know what kind of powers Bonnie had, but at the moment I was really worried that mind-reading was one of them. So, instead I decided to tell the truth.

"Damon asked me to get it back for him, but Caroline gave it to you." I said. "Apparently it belonged to an ex of his which died."

"You know Damon tried to take it from me at the party. He got _burned, _literally. The necklace burned him Steffy." she told me. "I ran to Grams, not understanding a thing of what was going on with me and Grams told me that it belonged to one of my ancestors." For a moment or two, I didn't even know what to say.

"So, you're saying that Damon lied to me? Why would he do that?" I said.

"Maybe it _did_ belong to his ex, however, that doesn't mean it didn't belong to my ancestor. Maybe she got it at some antique shop?" Bonnie suggested.

"Or maybe Damon just lied." I said. I couldn't help but feel slightly bitter towards him. For some reason I had a feeling that he hadn't been telling me the whole truth about the necklace. "Look, Bonnie, I'm sorry okay? You don't have to worry about it anymore. Keep the necklace and I'll help you keep Damon away." She smiled at me again.

"I'm glad you understand." I bit my lip.

"Bonnie, there is something I _don't_ understand." I said. "Exactly _how_ can you be a witch? I have never believed in that kind of stuff... I'm not saying that I don't believe you, because after that show I can't really say I don't, but I just don't understand..." I was trying to be honest. She nodded at me.

"I understand that this goes against anything you might have believed about this world and all, but you simply need to trust me." she told me.

"But are witches the only mystical 'creatures' or whatever? I mean, are there other things too?" I asked. Bonnie frowned at me.

"I don't know. I guess I've never thought about it." I ran a hand through my hair.

"Have you asked your Grams about it?" Bonnie shook her head.

"Like I said, I haven't really though about it." I nodded, but for some reason the uneasy feeling never left my stomach.

* * *

I was pacing back and forth in my room. Bonnie swore me to secrecy before I left but I still couldn't help but think about what she had revealed. If witches existed, there may be a supernatural explanation to what was going on with me and my nightmares. If witches exist, what is there to say that things such as ghosts, poltergeists and werewolves didn't exist too? I bit my lip and swallowed hard. The dreams I was having though, were always about some creature biting people, or ripping them apart...or drinking their blood. Shills ran through my body. All day I had been thinking about telling someone about these dreams I was having. I couldn't keep it in anymore. I was pacing because I knew I should have asked Bonnie about it earlier today. Maybe she would have been able to help me by asking her Grams? However, I knew that I needed to tell someone who would tell me that I was crazy and that I should just stop talking about it because I was just imagining things... It would make things a lot easier than having someone tell me that I was being haunted. I stopped pacing. I knew exactly who I had to talk to.

I quickly walked downstairs and grabbed my Aunt's car keys. She rarely used her other car, so I saw no harm in me borrowing it for a while. I drove towards the Boarding house. On my way there I tried to take calming breaths and ran through my entire speech. I was going to walk up to Damon, first tell him that no matter how bad he is, I still consider him a friend (or something) and then tell him exactly what has been happening to me. Actually, I may just skip the whole 'I consider you a friend' -thing because Caroline will probably kill me if she found out. I parked outside of the house and walked up to the door while nervously running my fingers through my brown locks.

"Okay," I whispered to myself, "I can do this." I knocked first and then rang the doorbell.

"It's open," a female voice called. "Come on in." I bit my lip and stepped in, only to be met by a woman with long, blonde hair and a welcoming smile.

"Hi," I said, although I was kind of confused. "Uhm, I..." I trailed off noticing that the girl wore nothing but a towel. She looked down too.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable? I can go change immediately-"

"No, it's not that," I interrupted quickly. "It was stupid of me to come here anyway..." I trailed off as Damon walked out in the hallway, shirtless. I looked from him, to the girl in the towel and felt a pang in my chest.

"Steffy?" Damon asked, confused. "What are you doing here?" He covered up his confusion with a smirk. "Finally decided to give into me?" I glared at him.

"It was nothing. I just wanted to talk about something," I said, "but clearly you have better things to do." I looked at the girl again. "Have a good day." I nodded curtly and walked out of the house again, running to the car and slamming the door shut. I quickly drove out of there, not bothering to look back...

* * *

"A party, Caroline. Really?" I asked as she was getting dressed. She put on a purple dress and nodded.

"At the Grill," she said. "I'm so glad I though of it!" Her grin was infectious. Perhaps I needed something like this to get away from my nightmare problem. "And you're coming, aren't you?" she pressed.

"Sure," I said, standing up and walking over to the door. "I'll just get dressed quickly." I walked into my room and locked the door before undressing. I walked into my bathroom and checked myself for any marks or scars on my body, happy, that I for once didn't find any that would be hard to cover up. I pulled on a strapless, black dress with gathered draping in the front. It went down to my knees and because of the stretch fabric, it hugged me in all the right places, without putting pressure to the small wounds I still had on my back after my last "adventure". I matched the dress with a couple of black accessories and fixed my make up. It wasn't much, but just enough to make me look fancy without trying too much. I pulled on my black, crossed strap sandals and zipped them up at the heels. I put some make up over a 2 inch scar on my wrist and managed to cover it up nicely. I walked up to the door and opened it, just to find Caroline standing there with her fist up, as if she was just about to knock.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," she grinned.

* * *

As Caroline drove towards the Grill she began explaining to me how Stefan and Elena were at odds with each other for some reason. I couldn't really understand _why_ considering that they had been so close to each other when I met them last time. Maybe something had happened that I didn't know about?

"I know I went after Stefan when he first got here," Caroline said, "but after I got together with Damon, I didn't really see Stefan as more than a friend. I mean, he's hot and all, but he's Elena's, you know?" I rolled my eyes.

"Caroline," I said calmly, leaning my head against the window, "you talk about boys as if they are toys." She laughed at my statement.

"Well, aren't they kind of? I mean, they use us just as much as we use them, right?" Once again, I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry if I believe that men and women should be able to enjoy each others company without having to use each other." I closed my eyes, feeling how a wave of tiredness went through me. "I believe in love." I told her.

"And that is exactly why you haven't had some action since you got here."

"I'm not even going to respond to that statement." I laughed as we finally arrived at our destination. We walked into the Grill and Caroline immediately began ordering around people on what to do and so on. I walked over to the bar and sat down. I asked for a glass of water and the bartender looked at me oddly.

"What?" I laughed.

"Nothing," he shrugged, "it's just that you're probably the first student that hasn't asked for anything with alcohol in it." His explanation made me laugh even more.

"It's probably because I don't drink." I said and he leaned against the counter.

"Oh really?" he said. "And why is that?" I stopped laughing.

"I have my reasons." I eyed him for a moment, a smile still playing on my lips. There were two bartenders working tonight because of the massive amount of people who Caroline had invited. This one I hadn't seen here before. He looked pretty good; dark brown eyes, sandy blonde hair...and not to mention a nice body.

"What's your name?" I asked, taking a sip from the water he handed me.

"Emmett," he replied, "I'm just filling in for a friend of mine. He was feeling sick and couldn't help tonight.

"Oh so you're working here without a bartender education?" I smiled and he offered me a flirty smile.

"Actually, I have been to a couple of classes to learn how to bar tend. And besides, my friend has taught me a lot too." He eyes me carefully. "What's your name anyway?"

"I'm-" I began, but was interrupted.

"-not available," Damon said, a smirk playing on his lips as he stood next to me and put an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Aren't you, _Stephanie?_" His whisper almost made me shudder, but I managed to resist. I glared at him as he looked at Emmett. "Go help some other students with their drinks. Stop wasting time on this one." He pulled me even closer to himself and I resisted the urge to punch him in the face again. I looked at Emmett who seemed dazed for a moment before looking at me.

"Sorry for wasting your time," he said and moved away to serve some other teens. I turned to glare at Damon.

"You," I said, "would probably be the worst wingman in the history of wingmen." Damon smirked and ordered a glass of bourbon from the other bartender.

"For your information Steffy," he said, "I would have been the best wingman ever." He sat down on the chair next to mine after pulling it a bit closer to me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Whatever you say Damon," I said and he grinned.

"What if I say: You and me, on my bed; _naked_." he whispered into my ear and I glared at him.

"And here I thought the two of us were becoming friends," I said sarcastically. "But it seems like all you want is to get into my pants." Once again he grinned.

"Actually," he said, "I just want to get you out of that dress." I glared at him because of how innocent he made the words sound. "So why did you come over today? I'm guessing it had something to do with Elena's fight with Stefan?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"So they are fighting? Over what?" I pressed. This time he was the one to raise an eyebrow at me.

"You don't know?" he asked and I shook my head. "Well, I'm sure Elena will spill as soon as she gets here. Let's just enjoy each others company." I grinned at him and curled my finger so that he would come closer. He smirked leaning in, probably expecting a kiss.

"I _don't_ enjoy your company." I said, grabbing his chin and pushing him away before turning back to look at the various drinks on the shelves. I could actually _feel_ his amusement. I imagined the smirk that was probably playing on his lips. Suddenly, I felt a pair of cool fingers trailing across my shoulder.

"I forgot to tell you how _lovely_ you look tonight," Damon said, but I didn't reply. He suddenly removed his hand and I let out a sigh of relief...until I realized _why_ he had removed his hand. Caroline walked up to us, a big grin on her face.

"Amazing party, right?" she said, looking at Damon. I turned around and noticed that the Grill was filled with people.

"Glad you thought of it," Damon replied, smiling as if he knew something I didn't. I looked at Caroline, trying to make her acknowledge the fact that I was there.

"Well, are you having a good time?" Caroline asked.

"Do you have my crystal?" Damon asked and I frowned. Why was he asking Caroline that? When Caroline replied with a 'no', his smile disappeared. "Then I'm not having a good time," he told her, his eyes traveling to the entrance where the blonde from earlier today walked in. Once again that _feeling _set in my stomach. He began walking away but I grabbed his arm, stopping him as Caroline stepped away.

"Why did you just ask Caroline if she had your crystal?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Since you weren't getting the job done, I thought it would be best to have two girls on the task." I glared t him.

"I wanted to talk to you about that-"

"Can we do that later? I need to talk to-"

"Towel-girl? Sure. Whatever you say Damon," I said darkly and walked off after seeing an amused smirk spread across his face. Instead I walked over to Caroline.

"Since when are you and Damon _best friends_?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

"Oh, we bonded over me trying to get him to stay the hell away from you," I replied sarcastically. She looked at me suspiciously.

"You looked pretty cozy over there," she accused.

"Is that what this is about Caroline? Are you jealous because Damon is being an ass to me instead of you?" My question seemed to get her back to real life.

"No," she said, trying to sound offended for some reason. "I'm just worried that he'll do to you what he did to me. I'm taking care of you." I stared at her for a moment.

"No, Caroline," I said, "it's I who am taking care of you." My harshness seemed to shake her for some reason and I walked away from her, walking outside to get some fresh air. I leaned against the wall letting out a deep breath that I didn't know I had been holding in. Why did I have that feeling in my gut all the time?

"He's a lot to keep up with, isn't he?" My thoughts were interrupted and I turned my head towards the girl who had spoken.

"Towel-girl," I stated and she laughed.

"Is that my new nickname?" she asked, walking closer to me. "Elena called me that earlier," she explained when she saw my confused look.

"Oh," I said.

"Yeah... So about Damon and my previous statement about him?" I nodded.

"He is a lot to keep up with," I answered and surprisingly she smiled.

"That is exactly why I never get involved with him," she said. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"So you and Damon never...?" I trailed off, realizing how wrong I had been about the situation. The girl's smiled formed into an 'o' shape.

"No, Damon and I have certainly _never_ slept together and we definitely will _never_ sleep together." She put her hand out for me to shake. "I'm Lexi, Stefan's friend."

"Stephanie, but people call me Steffy," I introduced myself and she smiled.

"I like you," she stated, "I heard a part of your conversation with Damon earlier and let me tell you, you've got spunk." I frowned slightly, but still smiled.

"Oh?" How could she possibly have heard that argument? However, I didn't want to pressure her into telling me. "And I'm guessing that you came to a conclusion from the conversation?" She nodded, her smile faltering slightly.

"That is also the reason I wanted to talk to you," she said. "I understand that you find Damon interesting and all but you really should know that he is very hung up on an ex of his."

"The one that died right? Damon told me," I said and Lexi nodded, continuing.

"Yes. Anyway, at the moment, he is trying to hide behind a facade of toughness, but I wanted you to know that deep inside-" I put up my hand to stop her.

"Why are you even telling me this?" I asked her and she looked at me strangely.

"You like Damon, don't you?" she asked and my eyes widened.

"What? _No! _I do _not_ like Damon," I replied quickly, "at least not like that." She looked at me strangely again. "Look," I began, trying to explain the incredibly complicated situation, "Damon is my cousin's ex-boyfriend. He has been flirting with me lately, but that doesn't mean anything to me. I consider him a-" I stopped for a moment before continuing, "-_an_ acquaintance and nothing more." She still looked at me suspiciously.

"So he hasn't tried anything on you?"

"Oh, he's tried. Multiple times, and failed. I would never do that to Caroline." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew what a lie it was. Something inside of me was telling me that no matter how hard I tried, Damon would never back off, and I would never _let_ him. It didn't matter whether he was hung up on his ex or Caroline was my cousin... We simply belonged- No! What was I thinking?! Damon is trouble. I don't want trouble.

I looked at Lexi, "I swear, there is nothing between Damon and me besides a possible friendship, and even that is so slim that it may never happen." She shrugged.

"It isn't really any of my business, but I have to warn you," she said. "Damon is trouble, sure, but deep inside he has a heart. Remember that, no matter what happens. Even the biggest douches get hurt and after they do, they try to cover it up and build walls so that no one will ever see that human part of them." I held her gaze.

"But we're still all human," I stated. "Damon is too, so it's only a matter of time before his protective walls fall down and he shows his true self. Whenever they _do _fall, I'll be there for him, as a friend, no matter how much of a douche he may have been before." As I spoke the words, I realized how true they were. No matter what he had _done _before, he meant something to me now and I would always be there if he needed me. I still couldn't understand why though, because I didn't know him that well yet. It was just something inside of me telling me that I should be his friend, even though he might be... _dangerous_. A small smile spread across Lexi's face.

"With that attitude, I believe you might be the one to change him," Lexi said. "Just don't let him scare you away. Don't let anything he tells you scare him away." I nodded at her.

"It was nice meeting you Lexi," I said and she nodded.

"It was nice meeting you too, Steffy." She walked inside and I looked up at the stars that were now covering the sky. Maybe Lexi was right? Maybe Damon would change... I shook my head, thinking how it might never happen, and entered the Grill again.

* * *

I was walking back towards the bar, when someone suddenly grabbed me and spun me back. I collided with a hard chest and looked up to meet a pair of icy blue eyes.

"Damon," I stated and he grinned.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Not really, no," I replied, but he held onto my one hand and put his other on my waist as he began swaying us back and forth.

"What did you want to say about the necklace earlier?" he asked, ignoring my reply.

"I was going to tell you that-" he spun me around once, catching me of guard when he once again pulled me back, even closer this time. He smirked when he saw me blush.

"That?" he urged.

"That I wont be helping you retrieve it anymore." His smirk dropped.

"I thought we had an understanding?" he asked. "You get my crystal back and I leave Caroline alone?" I scoffed at that.

"And how well have you been doing that?" I asked him. "You still have her wrapped around your finger, telling her what to do for you. I don't exactly see that as you staying away from her."

"Oh, I thought that I had to stay away _after_ you get my necklace back," he smiled smugly and I smacked him on the shoulder.

"That _wasn't_ our deal. That's why it's off now," I said, not wanting to explain the whole 'Bonnie is a witch and the crystal belonged to her ancestor'-thing.

"Hmm..." he murmured, slowly reaching up to put a loose curl behind my ear. His hand lingered on my cheek and I stared at him for a while. We had stopped dancing, but our bodies were still tightly pressed together. "You, my dear, are very intriguing," he said after a while. "_Fine_, don't get the crystal back for me, but you owe me." Slowly, he let go of me and I walked off quickly, not wanting to give Caroline another reason to suspect that anything is going on between Damon and me. A couple of minutes later I found Elena in the crowd.

"Hey," I greeted and she smiled back.

"Hi."I raised an eyebrow, noticing that she wasn't looking at me but rather past me. I saw Stefan with Lexi by the pool-table.

"They're just friends Elena," I told her. "Nothing to worry about."

"I know," she said, "it's just that Stefan and I haven't been talking properly the last couple of days..." I frowned.

"I heard about that," I said. "What's going on? You seemed to be doing fine just a week ago." She sighed deeply.

"I don't know," she replied, looking even more frustrated. "We've been arguing over how to deal with Damon...and you." A look of guilt washed over her face and I stared at her.

"Damon and me? You and Stefan have been arguing over how to handle Damon and me?" couldn't believe what I was hearing.

She looked at me and nodded, "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you about it instead of going behind your back."

"Yes you should," I said. "So what about me and Damon?" I was actually curious.

"Well, Damon told Stefan that you and him have been talking over the phone a lot lately and Stefan is worried that Damon might use you or something... I agree with Stefan on that," she admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. I couldn't believe Damon told him! It was supposed to be a secret! If Caroline found out... I didn't even want to think about it...

"So, what are you fighting over then? If you both agree?" She bit her lip.

"I thought it would be better if he simply told Damon to back off but Stefan thought it would be better if Damon got _bored_ or something. You know, let Damon be Damon. He'll back off eventually when he realizes he isn't getting somewhere?" Another guilty look flashed in Elena's face. "I know we should have talked to you about it Steph, but please, _don't _get involved with Damon. He's dangerous." I watched her for a moment.

"First of all," I began, "I don't understand how many times I have to say this, but in my mind, there is _nothing_ going on between Damon and me. Secondly," I took a breath, "I know Damon is a bad boy or whatever, but that doesn't mean he can't be nice sometimes too, even though he covers it up quickly with his slightly offensive remarks. And last of all, you-" I gave her a pointed look, "-and Stefan-" I nodded towards Stefan's direction, "-shouldn't fight over me and Damon, since there is nothing to fight _over_. I live my life exactly how I want to and I can handle Damon, I promise." Elena looked at me sceptically.

"Okay then," she finally said, "but if he ever does anything bad to you, promise me to tell Stefan about it." She was quite demanding this one, I realized.

"Fine. But don't expect me to tell Stefan every time Damon bothers me because he does that quite a lot actually." I looked over Elena's shoulder and saw Bonnie and Caroline talking. Caroline was looking upset. I frowned and excused myself as I quickly walked towards them.

"What is there to explain Bonnie?" Caroline exclaimed. "You got what you wanted... and something that doesn't even belong to you by the way and I," she pointed at herself, "get called a shallow, useless waste of space." I frowned.

"What?" I said, stepping inbetween them. "Who said that to you?" Caroline looked at me.

"Who do you think?" she snapped and I frowned even deeper. _Damon_.

"You know it isn't true," I said.

"Don't let him treat you like that Care," Bonnie added.

"Opposed to how my _best _friend treats me," Caroline snapped again and walked off, visibly upset. I turned around to look at Bonnie.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded and Bonnie gave me an upset look.

"Caroline tried to rip the necklace off my neck and I got upset," she replied and I frowned.

"Caroline wouldn't do something like that... She's been acting very strange ever since..." I trailed off, seeing Damon at the bar. "Excuse me," I said, walking away from Bonnie. I grabbed Damon's shoulder and he turned around to smirk at me.

"Can't get enough-"

"Shut up," I interrupted. "Did you call Caroline a 'shallow, useless waste of space'?" I asked, quoting Caroline and crossing my arms. He looked at me innocently.

"Maybe?" I glared at him.

"Stay away from her," I said. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay. The hell. Away. From. Her?" _Surprisingly_, he smirked at me.

"I love the way you look when you're angry at me," he said. "It's so _hot, _the way your cheeks heat up and you get all defensive."

"I do not get defensive!" I objected.

"What do you call that then?" I glared at him before walking away, not wanting to stay there any longer.

* * *

A while later, I found myself being bored. I found Caroline at a table with Matt, so I sat down across from them.

"I don't want to spoil this party for you Caroline, but I'm bored," I admitted and Matt looked over at me. He nodded towards Caroline and did some hand movement towards the coffee on the table.

"Caroline," I began suspiciously, "are you _drunk_?" Matt nodded and Caroline made a small wimping sound.

"Maybe..." she said and I stared at her. I looked over at Matt.

"We need to get her home," I told him and he nodded standing up. He lifted Caroline up in his arms.

"Come on Caroline," he grunted as she began to protest. I grabbed Caroline's purse and walked outside with them. Before stepping outside, I turned towards the bar, where Damon sat, staring at me. He nodded curtly, smirking and I glared back at him. I followed Matt who was carrying Caroline and was shocked to see my Aunt standing outside the Grill.

"Aunt Liz?" I asked and she looked over. She saw Caroline in Matt's arms and quickly stepped forward.

"What happened?" she asked. "Is she okay?" she looked at Caroline and then over to me. I was hoping I could somehow cover up the fact that Caroline had had a bit too much to drink, but then Caroline spoke and ruined everything.

"Like you care," she slurred and Aunt Liz's eyes narrowed.

"She's _drunk_?" she asked, looking at me. Just as I was about to respond, Caroline once again managed to get ahead of me.

"As a skunk," she sing-songed. Aunt Liz went on, asking if they were serving us inside and Matt offered to drive Caroline home. I stood silently as Aunt Liz watched Matt leave with Caroline before she finally turned to me.

"Steffy, please get inside again. I don't want something to happen to you too, so just wait there and I'll come and get you after I finish something," she said.

"Why couldn't I just go with Matt?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Please, just listen to me. I need you to identify the bartender that served Caroline tonight," she sighed and I nodded, walking back inside again. I could see that she was upset about the whole Caroline being drunk thing so I didn't want to cause any more problems. I leaned against a wall as I watched people dance and have a good time. Suddenly, I noticed my Aunt walk in with a girl, who was looking scared for some reason. My Aunt said something to her and the girl scanned across the place, before finally pointing towards the bar, where Damon and Lexi were standing. I frowned, moving closer slowly. I saw my Aunt and some of her deputies walk up to Damon and Lexi quickly. They grabbed Lexi, who was looking quite drunk and slowly dragged her out of the bar. I ran towards them, hoping to help Lexi by telling my Aunt that someone might have drugged her or something, but Damon stepped in front of me.

"Damon, get out of my way, I need to help Lexi before she's taken to some drunk cell," I said furiously. I simply couldn't take him being a douche at the moment. He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look into his eyes.

"I'll take care of it," he said, surprising even me. "Stay inside," he added, before stepping outside. I looked after him, but decided that I for once should listen, so I walked over to the bar and sat down, asking for yet another glass of water. I waved at Emmett, but he only looked at me dazed and went back to serving some other girls. After a while, my Aunt stepped inside, looking slightly disheveled.

"Come with me, Steph," she said and I nodded, standing up and following her. She walked me outside to the front of the Grill where I found Damon waiting. I gave him a questioning look, which he returned with a curt nod. I smiled slightly, realizing that he had helped Lexi.

"Damon, can you please drive Steffy home?" my Aunt asked and I turned to look at her shocked.

"What?" I exclaimed. "I thought you said you wanted me to identify the bartender that has been serving underage students all night?" I stared at her and she nodded towards Damon.

"Damon has been in here all night and he told me who it was. I'll take him into custody but I need to drive him to the station. That's why I want you to go home with Damon. He'll get you there safely. I trust him," she explained, giving Damon a pointed look. I looked over at him as he nodded seriously at her, but when his eyes met with mine, I could swear I saw a hint of a smirk appearing in the corner of his mouth.

"Okay," I finally said. "I'll wait for you at home," I told my Aunt and gave her a hug before walking away with Damon. When we were out of Aunt Liz's sight, he sneaked an arm around my waist. I didn't protest, because for some reason, it felt kind of...safe.

* * *

He parked outside of my house and I stared forward. We hadn't talked at all during the drive, which surprised me. I was expecting him to tell me that Lexi was okay or something, but at the same time I was afraid to ask because he would probably just say something incredibly sexist or rude. I turned around and looked at him, noticing that he was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, when he kept staring at me. I let out a small laugh and he turned his head slightly sideways. "You're starting to creep me out Damon," I told him and a small smile played across his lips.

"You have a nice laugh," he told me. "I wish you'd laugh more in my presence." I bit my lip and gave him a look.

"You don't exactly give me any reasons to laugh," I said and his smile disappeared for a moment before being replaced with a smirk.

"Have I told you how beautiful you looked tonight?" he asked and I couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I believe you used the word 'lovely', actually," I said and he nodded.

"Right, silly me to forget," he smacked his forehead playfully. I watched him for a moment.

"Why can't you be like this with Caroline too?" I asked and he looked at me confused.

"Like what?"

"Nice," I responded.

"I'm not nice," he scoffed dismissively.

"You are," I said, "sometimes." He looked at me and then smirked seductively as he began moving closer. I felt his hand on my thigh suddenly.

"I can be _bad_ too-" he began and leaned closer towards my ear, "-if you'd like me to be," he finished in a whisper. Soon I felt his lips against my shoulder as he began pressing soft kissed along my shoulder, then neck, then jawline... I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of his lips against my skin...until I realized what was happening. I pushed him away from me and glared at him, breathing hard and turning red across my cheeks. I was glad it was so dark outside that he wouldn't be able to see my blush.

"You ruined the moment," I said bitterly. "I thought we were becoming friends."

"We can be more than friends, if you'd like to be," he told me, once again leaning in, but this time aiming for my lips. I once again pushed him away.

"First of all, I know that your still hung up on your ex-girlfriend and second of all, _no_." I managed to sound stern when I said that.

"I'm not hung up on Caroline," he chuckled and I shook my head.

"No, but you're hung up on the one that died." My statement obviously hit a nerve because he looked away for a moment, a hurt expression covering his face. It took him a split second to recover.

"Help me get over her then," he said, once again smirking, but I shook my head at him.

"No, I wont," I said. "I can be there for you, but I wont be your rebound girl. I'm here if you'd ever like to talk." I said, before opening the door and stepping outside. I hunched down to look at him again. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "Good night Damon," I said.

He nodded curtly, "Good night, Stephanie."

* * *

_**A/N: Naw! :3 I just needed some Steffy/Damon cuteness in the end. I hope you thought it was cute, enev though Damon tried to spoil it a bit.**_

_**So to recap: Bonnie told Steffy about being a witch. Steffy accepted this because she figured someone might believe her if she told them about her dreams, although she wasn't ready to ask Bonnie about it yet. Instead she was REALLY close to telling Damon, who she suddenly has decided to trust a bit, but that kind of got spoiled.**_

_**In the end, she truly believes Damon helped Lexi, but we a ll know what really happened there *sob*, and then there was the little moment between the two of them in Damon's car... *sigh*.**_

_**Anyway, what did you guys think? Oh and just to make it clear: since Elena already knew about Damon and Stefan being vampires when Steffy arrived to town I had to have them fight over something else, in this case, Steffy and Damon's "bonding" or whatever. Although, I want to point out that Elena DOES NOT know that she and Katherine look exactly alike yet! It was just a small parenthesis.**_

_**Please share your thoughts in a review and tell me if something didn't make sense okay? I would love to get some response and I PROMISE, I will reply to all of your questions, if you have any!**_

_**Tell me what you think of Damon and Steffy together too.**_

_**Thank you for reading and being awesome!**_

_**Love you!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**P.S. I wrote an EXTRA long chapter for you, so I'm once again BEGGING you; tell me what you think. =)**_

_**P.P.S. Oh and one last thing! What did you think of the cover for this story? =) xx**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Honestly, I just couldn't help myself from writing and publishing this chapter today! =) I got 4 reviews on the last chapter which I am very happy about. I just wanted to tell you that this is the last chapter I'll be publishing for a couple of days/tops 2 weeks. I have a lot going on and school is starting soon and I have two really big tests coming up as soon as it starts, so I guess I have to study for that instead... =/**_

_**Oh well, I want to thank the following:**_

_**Tvdlover87654, grapejuice101, CSIGetteBlue and SomebodyWhoCares for their reviews on the last chapter. =) It means a lot when people take time to tell me what they think of my story.**_

_**Anyway, enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for Stephanie Blake who is ALL mine.**_

* * *

Music blasted through my ear buds as I ran through the streets. It was still dark outside and I sped up, knowing I had to be at the house before seven so that I could take a shower before school. I had woken up early...no; I hadn't even fallen asleep. I was afraid to fall asleep because of the nightmares. I still hadn't dared to talk to anyone about them... So instead of laying in bed, unable to sleep, I had decided that it was better to take a morning jog. At the moment, I had run approximately 10 Miles and there was a burning sensation running through my body. I was tired, yes, but I would rather run than have those nightmares. Finally, I got on my street and I sped up even more during those last couple of meters. Sweat was dripping from my forehead as I reached the steps outside of my house. The door opened, only to reveal Aunt Liz. She held up a note.

"Got your note," she said, waving it at me. I removed my ear buds.

"I wasn't able to sleep," I panted at her. She frowned at me.

"You haven't been sleeping very well lately. I hear you when I get home late at night," she admitted. Looking at me concerned. "Why haven't you been able to sleep?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Stress maybe?" I suggested, lying through my teeth.

"Maybe you should stay home today? Rest," she said and I thought about it for a moment. Maybe it would be better if I tried getting some sleep during the day? Perhaps the nightmares only come at night... I soon found myself nodding.

"Yeah, sure," I told my Aunt. "I haven't really been feeling well either," I then admitted. The last couple of days I had been getting massive headaches and nosebleeds accompanied with a lot of dizziness. I had no idea why, but I figured it may have something to do with the exhaustion.

I stepped inside, but stumbled over my own two feet. "Thanks," I mumbled to Aunt Liz after she caught me before I fell.

She looked at me concerned again. "Maybe it would be better if you sat down a bit before taking a shower." Her tone was serious, so all I could do was nod. She walked with me to the kitchen and sat me down on a chair. I sat there while she made me some coffee, all while holding my heed because of the pain that was running through it. Soon Caroline descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen, giving us both a grumpy "Morning" before making some coffee for herself. I knew that she had been ignoring Bonnie ever since the party at the Grill.

"Good morning Caroline," Aunt Liz said, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"I already said 'morning', don't you ever listen to me?" Caroline snapped. She hadn't just been mad at Bonnie, but also at her mom for busting her when she got drunk. Aunt Liz had spent an hour and a half scolding her for her misuse of alcohol, saying that she knew that Caroline knew better than to get drunk.

Caroline turned over to me and frowned. "Why aren't you getting ready?" she huffed and I rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm sick," I told her simply and she frowned.

"Really? I couldn't tell by the way you look," she shrugged sarcastically. Although I knew that she was still a bit mad at me too for not standing up for her against her mother, she offered me a small smile.

Aunt Liz, who was in her uniform already, checked her watch and sighed. "I need to get going girls," she said. "Caroline, you can drive by yourself, can't you?" Caroline grunted as a response and Aunt Liz looked helplessly at me. I nodded curtly, silently telling her that I would try to get Caroline to soften up. Liz smiled appreciably at me and walked out of the house. I turned to Caroline again.

"So," I began,"have you been talking to Bonnie lately?" Caroline looked at me as she took a sip from her coffee.

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p'.

"Maybe you should?" I suggested and she glared at me.

"Maybe you should mind your own business?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Ouch?" I said, feigning hurt as I put a hand to my heart. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Sorry, okay?" she said and I shrugged.

"Whatever Caroline. I'm sick and I can't deal with your drama at the moment," I told her. "But please, if you see Bonnie today, please try being the bigger person," I pleaded. She looked at me warily.

"Whatever," she said standing up. "I need to get to school now. I'll bring home all your homework later. Get better Steph," she said, kissing my cheek and strutting off. I looked after her in disbelief.

How bipolar can one get?

* * *

I sighed deeply before finishing my coffee and stood up, wanting to take a quick shower. Just as I reached the staircase, the doorbell rang. I frowned, wondering who it might be this early in the morning. Maybe Aunt Liz forgot something? I opened the door, only to find Damon standing there, casually leaning against the door frame with a smug on his face. I eyed him for a moment.

"Are you stalking me?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them.

I grinned at me amused. "Good morning to you too, Sunshine," he said. "Can I come in?" I eyed him once again. He was wearing his typical all black clothing and as usual, he was looking very handsome.

"Uhm..." I trailed off. "Sure, why not?" I replied and he smiled as I opened the door wider. "Come on in." He nodded and stepped inside, looking around for a moment or two. "So, you never answered my question before," I stated as he looked around, looking at a picture that was hanging on the wall. "What are you doing here?" I asked and he let out a low chuckle.

"If I remember correctly, your question was 'are you stalking me'." I blushed and he turned to me, still with that smug smile on his face. "And the answer is no, I'm not stalking you. But your Aunt did ask me to stop by and pay you a visit since you're apparently sick or something," he said, for the first time inspecting my outfit. "Have you been on a run?" he asked and I nodded.

"Couldn't sleep, so I went out on a run instead," I admitted and he nodded. "So Aunt Liz really told you to stop by?" He once again nodded. Why does my Aunt keep insisting on having Damon help me? Have they gotten that close as friends? I dismissed the question at the moment. "Look, Damon," I began, "I really need to take a shower because Aunt Liz wouldn't let me until my dizziness passed-"

"You're feeling light headed?" Damon asked and I bit my lip. Should I have told him that?

"A little," I said, showing him a small space between my index finger and my thumb. "But I still need to take a shower, so you can either stay right here and wait or something, or you can just go now." He eyed me for a moment.

"Or I could join you," he suggested shamelessly. I involuntarily let out a laugh, smacked him on his arm and walked towards the stairs. "Don't lock the door," he sing-songed after me, an amused smile on his face. "We wouldn't want something bad to happen in there, now do we?"I shot him a look over my shoulder.

"Whatever Damon," I said as I walked upstairs. I grabbed a towel and picked out a pair of black jeans and a gray shirt to put on later. I took out some new underwear as well and entered my bathroom. As I closed the door, my hand rested on the lock, thinking about what Damon said about leaving the door unlocked. It might be wiser to do that, considering how dizzy I was all the time. Yet, I didn't listen to my gut and turned the lock. I got into the bathtub and turned on the water after undressing. I took a quick, yet warm shower, feeling how the warm water calmed my nerves... Although, I had the strangest feeling ever in my stomach...I felt as if I was being watched... I tried dismissing the though, but still a cold feeling crept over me. I turned off the water and reached for the towel to dry up before stepping out of the tub. I pulled on my panties and my bra and then began drying off my hair with the towel, when suddenly the feeling returned. I slowly stood up and looked at the big mirror on the wall. There, beside me, was a young woman with waist long black hair and pale skin.

"Stephanie," she whispered and I suddenly I went cold. It all happened so fast. I jumped and screamed out in fear as I stumbled backwards. I grabbed the shower curtain as I fell and heard it being ripped from it's hangers as the back of my head collided with the wall. I felt myself slowly sliding down, into the tub... My eyes were getting heavy... I heard a male voice calling in the distance as everything turned black.

* * *

"Steffy? Steph?" I groan slightly as my eyes began to flutter open. "Stephanie, are you okay?" I put a hand on my head as the person shook me lightly. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the person. His intense blue eyes eyed me in concern.

"What happened...?" I managed to mumble as I rubbed my head. Damon gave me a look.

"You tell me," he said. "I was downstairs, waiting for you, when suddenly I heard you scream and then I find you knocked out in the bathtub." I looked over at the tub and then at the mirror, when I remembered what I had seen- _who_ I had seen. Damon's hands were cupping my face I realized, his thumbs lightly stroking my cheeks. "What happened?" he asked and I tried to think of something to say.

"I thought I saw a spider..." I mumbled and he looked at me strangely.

"A spider?" he repeated and I nodded. "You screamed out in horror because of a spider?"

"It was a big spider, okay?" I snapped, but quickly groaned as pain surged through my head again. He shushed me and made me look at him.

"You okay?" he asked again and I nodded.

"I'm just clumsy," I mumbled and he smiled slightly. "How did you even get in here?" I asked, remembering I had locked the door.

"I picked the lock," he said and I looked towards the door, seeing it hand from it's hinges in a strange way.

"You broke down my door?" I asked, shocked and he offered me a small smile.

"I'll pay for the damage."

His eyes suddenly traveled down and then back up to meet mine. He grinned at me and I looked down as well, realizing, I was still just wearing my underwear. I could feel myself beginning to blush as I looked up at him again.

He chuckled. "Believe me when I tell you you're not the first woman I see wearing nothing but underwear," he told me and I felt my face get even hotter. Our eyes met again and time seemed to freeze... His strong hands were still cupping my face, I realized. He slowly brushed away a strand of wet hair from my face and brushed his fingers softly against my cheek. Suddenly, he began to lean in. I felt him get closer, never breaking eye contact. Just as our lips were mere inches apart, however, I looked down, breaking eye contact and ruining the moment. He seemed frozen his place as I cleared my throat.

"I, uh..." I trailed off for a moment. "I need to get dressed." At my words he seemed to wake up out of his daze and nodded.

"I'll wait for you downstairs," he said, finally letting go of my face. I felt cold when he let go of me, but tried to ignore the fact that I missed feeling his hands on my cheeks. I quickly got dressed and before I exited the bathroom, I glanced at the mirror. What the hell had that been?

I walked downstairs and found Damon standing in the kitchen. He turned around just as I entered and eyed me, smirking. I guessed he was back to his old self again.

"Would you like some coffee?" I asked, and he motioned towards my old cup which was still unwashed in the sink.

"Haven't you already had your morning coffee?" he asked and I nodded.

"I need some more," I said, trying to forget what had nearly happened in my bathroom upstairs.

"In that case, sure," he said, sitting down on a chair as I began making the coffee.

"So," he began, as we finally sat down in the dining room with out cups, "how come you need more coffee?" I shrugged.

"I'm feeling exhausted," I told him simply and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"How come?" I once again shrugged.

"Haven't been able to sleep well these last couple of nights," I admitted.

"Oh," he said, taking a sip from his coffee, eying me carefully. We spent the next half hour talking, mostly about me and my life before moving to Mystic Falls. I couldn't believe how easy it was for me to talk to him. It felt kind of nice.

"I can't believe you were a cheerleader," he said, sounding amused.

"I can't believe I told you," I laughed. "Now you're probably sitting there, imagining me in the outfit!" He laughed at my accusation.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I've already imagined that, before you even told me?" I was taken aback my his question.

"Damon," I fake gasped, "have you been fantasizing about me?" By the amused smirk that appeared on his face, I could tell that he had and somewhere, deep inside of me, something melted.

"It's not as if you haven't been dreaming about me too," he said simply and I shook my head.

"I haven't actually," I told him and he looked at me sceptically.

"Whatever you say, Steffy," he said, finishing his coffee. "I need to get going now. Have some work to do. Need to get my crystal back, since you so kindly refused to help me." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you still obsessing over that?" I asked and he gave me a look.

"I'm not obsessing over anything," he told me and I shrugged.

"Your behavior tells me differently." Once again, he shot me his 'look'. I walked him to the door and he stepped outside, turning around to face me.

"Get some rest," he told me, "you have bags under your eyes." I smiled weakly at him.

"Sure, I'll _try_," I said and he nodded.

"Make sure not to fall asleep though, you hit your head pretty hard when you fell. I don't think you have a concussion, but better safe than sorry," I once again nodded. "And call me, if you need _anything-_" He eyed me for a moment and I smiled at him. "-including, a shower partner." I laughed and pushed him lightly.

"Good bye Damon," I said, waving my fingers lightly. "Thank you for all your help." He grinned at me, probably surprised that I took his joke so well.

"Call me," he said, before finally walking off to his car. Before he drove off, he blew me a kiss, which caught me by surprise. How could someone who was so annoying, be capable of making me feel so...happy?

* * *

I was too scared to go upstairs again- at least afraid to go upstairs alone. I knew that whatever hallucinations I had had in the bathroom, had something to do with the nightmares. I was just so tired that I laid down on the couch. I closed for a moment, but jumped, when I once again saw the black haired woman in front of me, whispering my name. Quickly, I reached for the blanket that was on the armchair and pulled it over myself, trying to cover up my head. Maybe this was a migraine? My head was pounding, my heart was beating fast. I tried closing my eyes again, but as soon as I shut them, the same woman appeared. I swallowed hard and bit my lip. My hands were shaking as I reached for my cellphone on the table. I found Damon's number and hovered above the dial button, but finally closed the phone and tossed it on the armchair. I couldn't tell him the truth. What would he think of me? He would probably say that I was crazy...

Instead of calling anyone, I sat on the couch with the blanket wrapped around my body, silently chanting 'I'm not crazy' to myself. If anyone would have seen me at the moment though, I knew they would be running to get a straitjacket. I was rocking back and forth slowly, hearing voices everywhere around me, whispering my name.

I was crazy.

I stood up abruptly, running over to the door. I needed to get out of the house. _Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie_. The woman's voice echoed in my head as I opened the door, only to bump into Caroline who was just arriving.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, putting a hand to her heart. She stared at me bewildered. "What the hell are you doing?" I stared at her, panting. She frowned at me. "Steffy? Are you okay?" I kept staring at her before slowly nodding. She walked past me, into the house and turned to look at me again. "What happened here?" I looked around, for the first time noticing my surroundings. There were newspapers everywhere. Torn pages, pictures were on the floor, drawers had been pulled out, almost as if someone had been searching for something. Had_ I _done this? I looked up and saw that Caroline was still looking at me strangely.

"I... I don't know," I admitted. She didn't answer me, instead she turned around and began cleaning things up. "What are you doing?" I asked her, suddenly things seemed a lot clearer in my head. The voice had abruptly stopped when I had bumped into Caroline.

"These," she said, holding up a couple of pictures, "are pictures of your mother and my mother when they were younger. You can't just throw them around Steph," she said and put them back in the drawer that had fallen out. She continued picking up the newspapers and magazines that had been torn before stopping and looking at me. "Aren't you going to help clean up your own mess?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just give me a second," I said as I threw the blanket on the couch. I helped her clean up the living room and she turned to look at me after the place was spotless.

"I don't even want to know what happened here," she told me and I nodded.

"I wouldn't have been able to explain it, even if you wanted to," I replied.

"Changing the subject," Caroline said, "Elena is playing peace maker and trying to mend my friendship with Bonnie by having a movie night. She told me to invite you too." We stayed quiet for a while. "Well? You coming or not?" she asked urgently.

"Yeah, why not?" I said and she smiled.

"Great, then I'll have someone on my side," she clapped her hands together and I frowned.

"Caroline, I'm not picking sides. You know that," I told her and she shrugged.

"As my cousin, you're automatically on my side anyway," she said and I looked at her sceptically.

"Whatever, I'm just going to get..." I trailed off, realizing I had to go upstairs. "Uhm, do you think I can go like this?" I asked and Caroline looked over my outfit.

She scrunched up her nose slightly, but nodded. "You're forgiven for wearing something so simple because you're sick. Now let's go," she said and linked our arms together.

"Let me just get my phone," I said, laughing at her enthusiasm. I walked over to the armchair and picked it up. In the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move and once again chills went through me.

"You find it yet?" Caroline called from the door.

"Yeah," I called back, looking suspiciously in the direction of the shadow, before finally walking to Caroline and joining her on the way out.

* * *

Bonnie, Elena and I were preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Caroline watched us. There was obviously an elephant in the room as Bonnie and Caroline shared 'looks'. They hadn't talked much since Caroline and I had arrived, which just made the situation even more awkward.

"I'm sorry," Caroline suddenly burst out, making me jump. "There. I said it. If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours." I smiled slightly, proud of my cousin for listening and apologizing. Bonnie looked at her strangely though.

"Would you hate me if I told you I threw it away?" she asked and Caroline stared at her.

"You _threw it away_?" she repeated, obviously angry. I looked at Elena, who nodded.

"I know it sounds crazy," Bonnie said, "but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it." I stared at Bonnie at the mention of nightmares. I had been meaning to ask her tonight about my own, but at the moment I knew she and Caroline had to get past their own issues and not focus on mine.

"You could have just given it back to me," Caroline said and I glared at her.

"Why? So you could give it back to Damon?" Elena asked, taking the words out of my mouth.

Caroline scoffed. "Screw Damon," she said. "Are we doing manicures or not? Who has their kit?" She was successful in changing the subject and Bonnie smiled at her slightly.

"Mine's in my bag," she said and Caroline walked over to the bags and began searching for Bonnie's kit.

"That went better than expected," I whispered to Elena who nodded, smiling slightly at me. I watched her for a moment. "Are you and Stefan still fighting?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"I don't really know anymore," she admitted. "He's been very distant." Before I had a chance to respond, Caroline gasped.

"Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?" she exclaimed and we all looked at her.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"Caroline!" I said, staring at her. Caroline held up a necklace and I stared at it. Wasn't that...? I looked at Bonnie, who had become pale.

"I'm not lying to you Caroline, I swear," she said, staring at the crystal.

"It's true," Elena put in, "I watched her throw it into a field." She looked at me and I stared at them.

"Then explain it," Caroline demanded. Bonnie stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about what to say.

"Emily," she said when she finally spoke.

"Who's Emily?" I asked and Bonnie turned to look at me.

"The ghost." My stomach sank. What. The. Hell.

"The ghost has a name now?" Caroline asked angrily. Elena looked at her.

"Caroline, please," she pleaded.

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone," Bonnie wondered out loud, looking at Elena. Caroline looked between the two of them angrily.

"What is going on?" she asked. "Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time!" she accused. Elena stepped forward.

"That's not true," she said calmly and Caroline stared at her. Bonnie looked at Elena and then at Caroline.

"Yes it is," she said, now looking at Caroline alone. "I can't talk to you. You don't listen." I knew where this was going. Bonnie was obviously talking about her newly discovered powers.

"That's not true," Caroline objected and Bonnie looked at her seriously again.

"I'm a witch," Bonnie said and I looked at Caroline, waiting for a reaction.

"And don't we all know it," Caroline mocked. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"See? That's what I'm talking about," Bonnie exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even hear it." Bonnie walked off, angry as I glared at Caroline for being...well, _Caroline_.

"I listen," she said. "When do I not listen?" She looked at me, as if she was expecting an answer.

"You need to go and apologize," I told her and she stared at me.

"Why? I didn't do anything," she said and I glared at her again.

"Listen up Caroline," I began, "I can't listen to you and Bonnie fighting anymore. You need to get over yourself, be the bigger person and apologize. Listen to your friend instead of being a-"

"Okay," she finally said, interrupting me. "Fine, I'll go and apologize." She stood up and walked off to the living room. Elena smiled at me as we listened to Caroline as she apologized to Bonnie. We finally joined them and Caroline complained about the drama in the room, suggesting we go upstairs and have a séance. Every part of me was screaming 'no', but I reluctantly agreed in the end, just wanting to get things over with so that I could ask Bonnie about my own nightmares.

* * *

We sat in a circle in Elena's bedroom, holding hands with a couple of candles in the middle.

"What are we doing?" Bonnie asked, clearly not wanting to do this.

"I don't know," Elena admitted and I let out a laugh.

"Be quiet and concentrate," Caroline told us. "Close your eyes," I closed my eyes and concentrated as Caroline spoke. "Now take a deep breathe," she said and I followed her instructions. "Bonnie. Call to her," she finished. I waited as I heard Bonnie sigh.

"Emily, you there?" Bonnie asked sarcastically and I let out a laugh, opening my eyes. Caroline glared at us.

"Really?" she said. "'Emily, you there' That's all you got? Come on." I laughed again but the look Caroline gave me, silenced me.

"Fine. Jeez," Bonnie said, returning to the circle and closing her eyes. "Emily. I call on you," she then said seriously. "I know you have a message. I'm here to listen." We stared in shock as the candles suddenly flared up.

"Did that just-" Elena began and I nodded, still staring at the candles.

"Yeah, it just happened," I said. Bonnie looked at us, fear evident in her eyes.

"It's just the air conditioning," she tried, but that awful chill I was getting was telling me it was anything but the air conditioning.

"Ask her to show you a sign," Caroline urged. "Ask her!" Bonnie refused to speak and Caroline sighed. "Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign," she said and we all stayed quiet as we waited.

"See?" Bonnie said. "It's not working." As she spoke the words, the windows suddenly flew open and we all screamed in fear. Bonnie jumped up. "I can't. I'm done," she said, ripping the necklace off and throwing it on the ground. Suddenly, the candle's went out. "Get the light!" Bonnie screamed in panic. "Please, get the lights on!"

"Hold on," I said jumping to my feet. "I got it." I flipped the switch and stared at my three friends, scared and confused. "What the hell just happened?" I asked. Bonnie was staring at the candles by her feet.

"You guys," she said, pointing at them, "the necklace, it's gone." We stared at each other for a while until Elena finally spoke, looking at Caroline.

"Fun's over Caroline," she said. "You made a point and I get it, now give it back." Caroline stared at her.

"What? I didn't take it!" Caroline said and I stared at her. I could usually tell when Caroline was lying and at the moment, I could tell that she was telling the truth.

"Maybe someone kicked it while trying to find the light?" I suggested and we all began looking around. We heard a noise and Elena walked to the hallway.

"Jeremy? You home?" she asked and I put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll go downstairs and check," I said and she nodded.

"Be careful," she said, fear still covering her face. I bit my lip, knowing that the same look probably covered my own face. I walked down the stairs, calling out Jeremy's name, but no reply came. _Stephanie_... The whisper was so close to my ear, that I felt goosebumps forming on my arms. I jumped, hearing a door slam shut and screaming erupting upstairs. I ran to the stairs, but stayed on the first floor.

"Elena!" I yelled. "What's going on up there?" Elena yelled back that something was wrong with Bonnie, but just as I was going to run upstairs, ignoring the horrible feeling in my gut, the screaming stopped. I froze in place, still at the bottom of the stairs. I heard Bonnie calmly tell them that she was fine, but I could hear that something was off. She was way too calm. Caroline yelled, accusing her of faking everything but Bonnie kept responding with a simple "I'm fine". Suddenly, Bonnie began descending the stairs. Why was she leaving?

"If she's leaving, I'm leaving," Caroline said. Elena looked at the two of them.

"You guys can't just leave," she said and I looked at Caroline, who looked at me and nodded.

"I can," she said, "I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night."

"Thank you for having me," Bonnie said strangely. "I'll take it from here." I stared at her as she hurried down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked and she turned around to look at her.

"Back to where it all began," she replied and once again walked down the stairs.

"Bonnie!" Elena called, just as I grabbed her arm. Chills went through my fingers as I toughed her. She looked at me and I saw a clouded look in her eyes.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "Emily!" Bonnie, or rather Emily, stared at me.

"I can't let him have it," she said. "It must be destroyed." She ran towards the door, and on instinct I ran after her. I ran quickly, and just managed to get through the door when I heard it shut and lock behind me. I hurried after her, but she was fast and I saw her run into the woods. I followed her and began calling her name. I didn't really know which one to call, so I yelled for both Bonnie and Emily. I lost her for a couple of minutes, but then I heard a male voice screaming and I ran in that direction, figuring there was a bigger chance I'll find her there. I stepped out into a small clearing and froze at the sight in front of me.

Bonnie, or Emily, was making a circle on the ground, moving things around and looking up in the sky once in a while. Further away, I noticed the reason why I had heard someone scream. Damon was hanging off a tree, with a branch stuck through his stomach.

"Oh my God!" I yelled, as I ran up to him. "How...?" I stared at him as he grunted in pain. "You should be..." I trailed off. "What the hell happened?" He grunted again and his eyes turned to Bonnie/Emily. Just as I looked over at her too, I heard someone else approach. I turned to see Stefan. I blinked, and suddenly he was next to me and Damon. I gasped as he pulled Damon off the branch with a strength I had never seen before.

"It hurts," Damon said. "This is why I feed on people." I froze at his words. _What. The. Hell._ They both looked at me and I realized I must have said the words out loud.

"Stefan," Bonnie/Emily suddenly said. Stefan turned away from me and looked at her. I watched as they talked.

"Hello Emily," he replied, speaking as if he was talking to someone he knew...or had known...

"These people don't deserve this. They should never have to know such evil," Bonnie/Emily said.

"What do you mean evil?" Stefan asked, taking a step forward. I felt Damon move beside me.

"Emily, I swear to God I'll make you regret this!" he said. He sounded so desperate...

"I wont let you unleash them into this world," she replied. I was so confused, I didn't know what was going on. Why was Damon even able to speak now? He should be dead!

"Them?" Stefan asked, turning to Damon. "What part of the story did you leave out Damon?" he said, demanding an answer.

"What does it matter?" Damon snapped.

"Emily, tell me what you did," Stefan said, turning back to the witch who had finished making her circle.

"To save her, I had to save them." At her reply Stefan stared at her with wide eyes.

"You saved everyone in the Church?" he asked and I stared. What Church? What. Was. Going. On?

"With one, comes all," Bonnie/Emily said simply.

"I don't care about them," Damon said, his tone still desperate. "I just want Katherine." Stefan turned to his brother.

"I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it?" Stefan said. "This is about revenge."

Damon glared at him. "The two aren't mutually exclusive," he replied.

"Damon you can't do this!" Stefan argued.

"Why not?" Damon snapped. I was surprised by his tone. I had never seen him like this before. "They killed 27 people and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get," he said bitterly. I felt a pang in my chest. 27 people? Killed? In a church...? It sounded so familiar.

"27 _vampires,_ Damon. They were _vampires_. You can't bring them back," Stefan said. I stared at them both.

"What the hell!" I yelled and they both looked at me. I stared at them in shock. It wasn't possible... How was it possible...? They couldn't- I-

I missed a part of their conversation. Damon was now looking at Bonnie/Emily again.

"Please don't," he pleaded.

"I can't free them," she replied. "I wont. _Incendia_!" she yelled, and a fire lit around her in her circle. Suddenly, Elena burst out of the woods.

"Bonnie!" she yelled, seeing her friend in the middle of the flames.

"No!" Damon yelled, just as Bonnie/Emily threw the necklace in the air and it exploded into a million pieces. I looked at Damon, who at the moment looked furious. Slowly the fire died down and I noticed Bonnie was looking confused. Emily must have left her body. I heard a snarl next to me and the next thing I knew, Damon was by Bonnie, biting furiously into her neck. Elena and I screamed out at the same time and I put my hand out in Bonnie's direction. A warmth went through my fingers and suddenly, Damon flew back and fell onto the ground. I stared at the scene that unfolded in front of me. Stefan was once again in a flash by Elena and Bonnie. Bonnie was laying on the ground, unconscious...or dead. I looked down at my hands, the warmth suddenly gone. Had I done that? Was I the reason Damon flew back like that? My head was spinning. I looked up to look at Damon. He had blood smeared all over his lips...Bonnie's blood... I looked back at Stefan and saw how his face changed and he ripped his wrist with his teeth- no, _fangs_, before giving his blood to Bonnie. I heard Elena say something about how Bonnie's neck was healing, but I looked back at Damon, who now had a defeated look on his face. I felt as if I couldn't breathe...in fact, I _couldn't_. I heard my own breath hitch and suddenly I was falling... I fell into someone's arms, just as everything turned black.

_**Third Point of view**_

Damon just managed to grab a hold of Stephanie as she fell. He held her in his arms as Stefan sped towards them.

"We need to compel her to forget what she saw tonight," Stefan said and Damon glared at him. He looked down at Steffy and noticed that she was still breathing, but that her heart rate had slowed down immensely.

"Compulsion doesn't work on her," Damon snapped at his brother, who was looking at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

Damon rolled his eyes as he put a hand on Stephanie's back and the other one under her knees, lifting her up. "I mean that I tried to compel her once and it didn't work. Maybe her Aunt has been secretly giving her vervain," he said. Stefan looked at him as he began walking away, Steffy still in his arms.

"Where are you taking her?" Elena yelled. "You can't just take her and leave!" Damon turned to look at her. She was still crouched down on the ground beside Bonnie.

"I'm taking her to the boarding house," he told her. "She'll be safe there, and she wont go running off to her Aunt screaming 'vampire' when I talk to her." Elena glared at him.

"It's all your fault! If you didn't get involved with her-"

"She would never have been in this situation? Well Elena, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but there seems that there is more to little Miss Blake than meets the eye," he told her sarcastically. "I'll keep her safe tonight. You tell your witchy little friend what you need to tell her and I'll do what I have to do with Stephanie. You should cover for her though," he added thoughtfully, "I don't think her Aunt would like to know that she's sleeping over at my place." Before Elena had the chance to protest, Damon sped off in his vampire speed towards the boarding house, all while listening to Stephanie's calm heart beat.

* * *

_**A/N: So, Steffy finally found out about Damon and Stefan being vampires! ;) Also, what the hell happened to Steffy in the end? =O Well, that's for me to know and for you to ... Haha, just kidding, but we will dig deeper into that in the upcoming two chapters that I am yet to write ;) Don't worry though, I have it all planned out. =)**_

_**Oh, and we got a little Damon/Steffy shower moment too! ;) And some other scary shizz o.o...**_

_**But what did you think over all? I thought it was a pretty average chapter. I wanted to kind of come back to the whole "nightmare" issue with Steffy and I NEEDED some Damon/Steffy in here too!**_

_**If you decide to review (which I hope you will since it motivates me to write fast, which I have proven now that I have published this chapter so soon after the last one), please answer these questions:**_

_**1) What did you think of the chapter?**_

_**2) What moment was your favorite one?**_

_**3) Any grammar that needs checking or changing?**_

_**4) Should Steffy and Damon get together or not? (I'm thinking of maybe just having a friendship instead...or what do you think?)**_

_**5) Deffy or Stamon (as a couple name for the Damon/Steffy pairing)?**_

_**6) What do you think of the cover for this story? =)**_

_**Lots of love, thank you for reading and have a lovely day!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


	11. Chapter 10

_**A/N: I'm on a roll today! I managed to update both Tough Love: The Return and now Meant to Be! Gah! I'm so happy!**_

_**Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you for your LOVELY reviews on the last chapter! So thank you to: SomebodyWhoCares, abby102030405060708090 (thank God for copy and paste with all of those numbers ;D), Tvdlover87654, RockaRosalie, Ktclaire99 and last but not least, xXbriannaXx, who I'll be adressing specially in the Authors note after the chapter! ;)**_

_**So, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! Please review and also a huge thank you to those who put this story and me on alert/favorite! I love you all!**_

_**Please, enjoy!**_

* * *

I felt a pain in my chest.

"Did you hear that?" I recognized the voice; _Stefan._"I think she moved," he continued and I could feel someone gazing on me. It had been such a strange dream...stranger, than most of my dreams. Bonnie had been possessed by that Emily ghost that had been haunting her for so long and then blew up the crystal that Damon- who was apparently a vampire- had been trying to get his hands on for so long...

Why was my head hurting so much?

I slowly began to open my eyes, but the light quickly got me to close them again.

"Is she waking up?" I heard Damon ask.

"Maybe," Stefan replied. "You should leave, you'll just make things worse," he continued. I heard a snort from Damon and once again, tried to open my eyes. This time, I was prepared for the light and for a moment of two, I just stared up at the ceiling. I didn't know where I was and when I looked around, I couldn't see Damon or Stefan anywhere. I grunted as I tried sitting up slowly. My legs were tangled in a blanket and I was apparently laying on a couch. I rubbed my temples, trying to remember how I got here in the first place.

"Look who's finally awake," I heard a smug voice say from the doorway. I turned around but quickly turned away, seeing Damon standing there...shirtless.

"What happened?" I managed to rasp out. I cleared my throat and looked around again, avoiding the place where Damon was standing as much as I could. "Where am-" I stopped abruptly, realizing where I was. I was in the Boarding house. Why was I...? "God! I remember," I exclaimed, pushing away the blanket quickly and standing up. The dizziness took over and I stumbled, putting a hand to my forehead, just as Damon suddenly appeared in front of me. I let out a small shrieking sound, shocked by his speed and sudden closeness.

He looked at me amused. "Are you scared of me?" he asked and I stared at him for a while. He repeated the question.

"I don't know," I told him honestly. "Should I be?"

"I'm a vampire," he said simply. "You tell me." I continued to stare.

"You're a vampire..." I trailed off, realizing how silly I sounded. How was it possible for him to be a vampire? How was it possible for Bonnie to be a witch? How was it possible...for me to dream and to get hurt in real life? The questions kept spinning through my head. Stefan entering the room was what pulled me back to reality.

"Stephanie," he said, "how are you feeling?" His face was covered in concern as he watched me and Damon, who still hadn't stepped away from me.

"I'm fine, I think." The response had been so weak that both of them raised an eyebrow at me. "How can this be happening? How can you two be..._vampires,_" I whispered the last word. Stefan stepped forward and Damon took a step back from me.

"I'll tell you," Stefan began, "but after school. Are you coming with me? I can drive you to your house first-"

"My aunt!" I exclaimed suddenly. "If I stayed the night here, she'll be wondering where I was! What am I supposed to tell her-"

"Elena covered for you," Damon interrupted. I looked at him. "She spent the night at Bonnie's explaining what had happened and she called to tell your aunt that you would stay there as well since you had already fallen asleep."

"Oh," I said and Damon smirked at me.

"And besides," Damon continued, "you are not going to school today. You're staying here with me, until the vervain passes through your system and I'm able to compel you to forget everything." He looked at Stefan, grinned and then looked back at me. Compel me? What did that even mean?

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So you're telling me you're going to keep me here against my own will?" He shrugged at me.

"Well, I can't exactly have you running around screaming 'vampire' in town now, can I?"

"Who would even believe me?" I asked, crossing my arms and tapping my foot on the floor.

"You'd be surprised," he said, walking over to a table and filling a glass with bourbon. I looked at him for a while longer and then turned to Stefan.

"So what you two are telling me, is that I have to stay here the entire day until some vervain-thing disappears from my body, in order for you to make me forget everything that happened last night?" Stefan looked quite ashamed when I put it that way. "Does Elena know? Of what you two are, I mean," I asked and Stefan nodded. "Then why can't I? Don't you two trust me?" Stefan stepped forward.

"We do trust you, at least I do," he said, looking at Damon, who scoffed.

"Yeah, that's why you were yelling yesterday, telling _me _how we needed to make her forget," he said. At his words I turned to glare at Stefan, who looked even more ashamed of himself.

"That was before you woke up and took it all so well," he defended, but I still felt slightly hurt by what Damon had just told me.

"Well then," I began, "since you don't need to make me forget anymore- and I still don't understand how you can do _that_- I'll be going to school today," I finished and began walking towards the door, but suddenly, Damon was in front of me.

"No, you're not," he said. "You're spending the day here, until I can figure out what to do with you. I _don't_ trust you like Stefan does and since your aunt is the Sheriff, I'll have to be extra careful with you."

"You can't keep me here all day!" I protested and he chuckled.

"Sure I can." I huffed at him and crossed my arms over my chest again.

"Fine," I finally said after a moment of contemplating. "I'll stay here and you can answer all of my questions about what happened last night." He nodded at me.

"Sounds fair. You ask whatever you want and I'll try my best to answer your questions, my lovely Stephanie," he said. I ignored the last thing he said and nodded.

"But I want honest answers if I'm going to stay here," I told him. "If I notice that you're lying to me, I'll walk out that door and never speak to any of you again." Once again he nodded. I looked at Stefan, who still looked hesitant of letting me stay there alone with Damon. "I need answers," I told him and he nodded.

"If anything happens, call me, Steffy," he told me. "I understand that you're confused and afraid, Elena was too when she first found out, but you need to know that you can trust me. I'm your friend," Stefan told me and I nodded curtly.

"I know." The situation was still awkward, but finally, Stefan left, sending Damon one last warning look. I turned to look at Damon, who was still shirtless. I covered my eyes. "Will you please put a shirt on before I decide to poke my eyes out?" Suddenly, I was pressed against his chest. I gasped, feeling my back hit the couch as he laid down on top of me, holding my wrists in a firm grip over my head. "What the _hell_, Damon?" I managed to say while struggling against him. He peered down at me curiously.

"You're still weak from last night," he said, watching me intently with his blue eyes. "I suggest you stay on the couch while I get dressed. You shouldn't try to run, since I'll catch you before you even get to the door. Stay. _Put,_" he whispered and suddenly he was gone, finally letting me breathe. I sat up, feeling strange again. I still couldn't believe what was happening. A hundred questions were running through my head, as I waited for Damon to get back downstairs. A few moments later, he walked into the room, his usual black t-shirt on accompanied with his signature smirk. He sat down on the couch next to me, putting his feet up on the table. I scooted away from him slightly, still not sure how to act around him anymore. If he noticed, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he put an arm around my shoulder.

"So, tell me, Steph" he said, "what do you want to know?" I simply looked at him for a while...

"How can you be a vampire?" I blurted out and he looked at me amused. "I mean, does that mean that you're technically _dead_?" His grin grew even wider.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"How?" I asked. "How do you become a vampire?" Why were my questions so amusing? He let out a small laugh.

"Well," he began, "first you need to drink another vampire's blood, then you need to die with said vampire's blood in your system and then you need to drink human blood to finish the transition." Once again, all I could do was stare.

"So, who turned you and Stefan then?" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why do you ask?"

"You promised you would answer _everything_, Damon," I told him and he nodded.

"We were turned by a woman named Katherine Pierce," he told me and I frowned.

"Wait a minute, I think I have heard someone mention that name before..." I thought about it for a while, but couldn't remember where I had heard it. "But why did she turn you?"

"We loved her," Damon answered simply, looking at his fingernails as if the conversation didn't bother him a bit.

"Both of you?" He nodded. "Who loved her first? No wait, I don't even want to know," I said, thinking it was better that I didn't know. That was between Damon and Stefan and it didn't matter since this Katherine girl was obviously out of the picture...or was she... "The necklace! It belonged to Katherine!" I suddenly exclaimed, realizing that Katherine must have been the girl that Damon loved that died. "That's why you wanted her crystal; because of her! She's your ex-girlfriend who died," I said and Damon grinned slightly.

"You're quite good at guessing the truth, my dear Stephanie," he said, playing with a strand of my hair with his fingers. I smacked his hand away and he shot me a glare. "_However_, Katherine isn't dead. She's locked inside a tomb under the old church." Memories from the night before came back to me.

"So why did you need that crystal?" I asked and he grinned at me again.

"To open up the tomb and free Katherine," he replied. "Your witchy little friend, however, decided to ruin my 'diabolical plan' by destroying the crystal," he said, a angry look crossing his face. "So now I'm going to need to find another way to open it up."

"I remember Stefan saying something about 27 vampires... What was that about?" The questions were running out of my mouth before I even had time to process what I was saying.

"Well, Emily, Bonnie's ancestor, who saved Katherine from burning inside the church in 1864, also had to save the other vampires. If I open the tomb, they will also probably be released." As he spoke sounded so incredibly unfazed by what he said. Almost as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"1864?" I managed to say through shock. Was he _that_ old?

"Yes, that was the year my brother and I were turned," he replied coolly. I needed time to process all the new information, so for a while, I didn't speak.

Minutes passed and finally Damon spoke again. "Is there anything else you'd like to know? I'm not usually one for explaining these things." I looked at him again.

"What happened to me last night?" I finally asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to sound confused but something in his voice told me he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"When I saw you biting into Bonnie's neck, I remember that I yelled at you to stop and-" I stopped speaking.

"And...?" Damon pressed.

"And you _flew_ back!" I finished. "Did _I _do that Damon?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. I think you did, but I'm not sure _how,_" he replied and I could hear in his voice that he was being honest. "Though, I may know someone who might know, but I'll just have to drive you there and leave because the person isn't very fond of me," he told me and I nodded. If there was anyone that could help me understand what was going on with me, I would be glad to meet him or her.

"Any other questions?" Damon asked and I nodded.

"Going back to the original topic of vampires: what is that vervain-thing that you and Stefan were talking about earlier?" I asked him.

"It's a herb that is like poison to us. It makes us weak and burns our skin, which is why we don't put it in our tea and lotion," he joked and for some reason, I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"So it can be used as protection from you?"

"Yes, indeed. It keeps us out of your minds, so that we can't compel you or play around with your dreams," he told me and I frowned.

"So you mean you can make us humans do whatever you want us to do?" He nodded as a response and I could feel myself frown even deeper. "Did you ever do that to me? Control me? Make me do whatever you wanted me to do and then make me forget about it?" He trailed his fingers across my collarbone, smirking slightly as he moved closer.

"What exactly are you suggesting Stephanie?" he asked in a seductive way. "That I had my wicked way with you and made you forget? I assure you, I would never be so cruel to make you forget the best night of your life," he purred and I pushed him away.

"Eww," I told him sternly. "Have you ever compelled me?" I asked again and he was still smirking, but this time replied seriously.

"No." I was slightly taken aback by his answer. Damon seems like the kind of person who would enjoy making people do whatever he wanted them to do.

"Why?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Oh, I tried once, but for some reason I couldn't. I figured your aunt might have put vervain in your tea or something," he said.

"My aunt? What does Liz have to do with any of this?" I asked.

"Well, she is a part of the founder's council, the secret council of vampire hunting founder's," he clarified.

"I don't drink tea," I told him. "I just lately began drinking coffee but that was just because of my lack of sleep. I don't think she's managed to slip me some vervain that way," I said and he seemed to think about it for a while.

"Unless she's been injecting vervain in you with shots, she might have put it in a piece of jewelry. That's what Stefan did, to protect Elena," he said, speculating. I told him that my aunt hadn't given me anything like that and he shot me a look. "Those are the only ways Steph," he told me. "Either that, or you simply can't be compelled. My bet is on the latter." I stood up and he stood up too, watching me warily as if I was going to fall over at any moment. I didn't, however, because for some reason it felt like a new power was surging through me.

"Why wouldn't you be able to compel me Damon?" I asked, pacing around in front of him. "I mean, is there something wrong with me? What if I'm sick or something?" He stopped me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me slightly.

"You are _not _sick Steffy," he told me. "If you were, I would still be able to compel you. I think you should visit that person I was talking about earlier and ask her all your questions. She might be able to explain it because for once, I am clueless." I snorted at him.

"You're always clueless Damon," I said and he grinned at me.

"There, the old Stephanie is back," he said. "Now, let's go. I'll drive you and then I have some of my own business to take care of." I nodded and began walking towards the door. I felt him slip his arm around my waist, almost protectively, but I figured I was imagining things. He was obviously still hung up on that Katherine girl...

* * *

Damon pulled up by a small house and stopped the car, turning to look at me.

"This is the house," he told me and I nodded.

"Aren't you coming with me?" I asked and he shook his head.

"I told you that the person isn't very fond of me, or my _type_ for that matter," he said and I frowned.

"I really don't understand you at all Damon," I told him honestly and he gave me a look. "I mean, since you almost killed Bonnie, I figured you would be the 'bad guy', but you've been really..._welcoming,_ I guess," I said and he grinned at me, putting a hand on my thigh.

"I can show you how bad I can be Stephanie," he told me and I smacked his hand away.

"Stop with the innuendos Damon," I said sternly. "I'm taking everything back. You're still an ass." I took off my seat belt but he stopped me from stepping outside when he grabbed my hand.

"Just relax Steph," he said, offering me a small grin. "Relax," he repeated and pulled my hand to his lips, kissing it softly, all while looking me in the eyes. For a while we just stared at each other. He was an enigma to me... I finally gathered the strength to pull my hand from his grasp and stepped out of the car.

"I'll call you later," I said, shutting the door, not daring to look into his eyes any more. For some reason, when he kissed my hand, I felt as if I couldn't breathe.

I walked up to the door, inspecting the house carefully. I could feel a wave of something run through me, although I didn't recognize the feeling. As soon as I reached the door, I rang the door bell and knocked twice. Soon enough, the door opened, to reveal an older woman with curly, light brown hair and almond brown eyes. She looked at me curiously and frowned upon my outfit. I was still wearing what I had worn yesterday and my clothes were both dirty and torn. I put my hand out for her to shake.

"Hi, I'm Steffy," I began, watching as she slowly reached forward to take my hand. Her eyes snapped open as she took my hand in hers, shaking it firmly. "You must be Bonnie's grandmother. I'm a friend of hers," I said and the older woman looked at me strangely.

"Stephanie? Stephanie Blake?" she asked and I was slightly taken aback by the fact that she knew my name.

"Yes," I said and she smiled slightly.

"I thought you might come to see me sooner or later," she said. "I'm Sheila Bennett, and you can just call me Sheila. Why don't you come in and I'll brew us some tea?" she offered and stepped to the side to let me in. I nodded, even though I was still confused on why she would be expecting me.

She showed me the way to her living room, and pretty soon, we were sitting on the couch, both of us with a cup of mint tea in our hands. I took a sip from it and almost made a face. I never had been one for tea.

"So," Sheila said, putting her cup on the table, "what brings you to my home, dear?" I bit my lip before answering.

"I know," I said and she raised an eyebrow at me.

"You know what exactly?" she asked and I could feel myself blush.

"That you're a witch," I replied. "And I know that Bonnie is one too." Sheila simply nodded at me.

"I figured as much," she said. "However, I'm guessing that you coming here has nothing to do with Bonnie or me. Something has been happening to you, hasn't it?" I nodded and she gestured for me to explain while she took a sip from her teacup.

"I've been having nightmares ever since I moved to Mystic Falls," I told her.

"Do you want me to do a spell so that you don't get nightmares? I assure you that witchcraft is not to play with, especially not for things like that," she said and I looked at her.

"No, I don't want you to do a spell. I just wanted to see if you knew why these strange things are happening to me," I told her quickly, worried that I might have offended her.

"What strange thing?" she asked, but for some reason she didn't sound very surprised. I put the teacup down on the table and pulled up my sleeves, revealing a bandage just above my elbow. I removed it and revealed three scars, that looked almost like claw marks. She put her cup down and moved closer to inspect the wound.

"Whenever I have a nightmare, there is this dark creature haunting me," I told her. "It's killing everyone I love before setting after me. When it catches me, it hurts me and when I wake up, the marks appear in real life." While I spoke, Sheila inspected the wound. She mumbled a could of words as she closed her eyes and I gasped, when the claw marks slowly faded away. "Thank you," I whispered, when she finally let go of my arm and looked at me again.

"You want to know what has been happening to you?" she asked and I nodded. "Well, it's normal for someone like you to experience these things. You're especially affected by your feelings and sometimes you might get blocked, which is the reason for your nightmares." I watched her strangely as she continued. "Your grandmother, Lily Blake, was a dear friend of mine before she moved away. It was nice having someone like me around, but when she left, I was the only one around for a while until Bonnie's powers came through. Then it was just Bonnie and me for a while," she said thoughtfully, looking into my eyes. "That is, until you moved here." I stared at her again.

"What exactly are you telling me?" I asked her and she smiled at me.

"You're one of us, Stephanie," she told me.

"One of _you_?"

"Yes," she answered.

"You mean..." Thoughts were running around in my head. Was Sheila telling me what I thought she was telling me?

"Yes, Stephanie," she said. "You are a witch." It took a moment for me to react. I stood up abruptly and stared at her.

"What? I am _not_ a witch. You've got it wrong," I stuttered.

"But you are, and I have proof," Sheila said, standing up to take my hands in hers. Once again, a warm feeling surged through my fingertips. "Your grandmother, Lily, and all her children were witches, and very powerful ones at that. It would be strange if you didn't get the gene," she said smiling at me. "Listen to me, you can tell if I'm lying. It's a special trait of you Blake witches," she said and I listened to her as she repeated that I was a witch. It felt strange. The way my heart just pounded in my chest and began calming down as I listened to her as she told me the truth. I closed my eyes for a minute, the coldness around me fading as the warmth from my fingertips spread through my body. I opened my eyes and looked at her again, seeing her in another light as she smiled at me. Soon, I found myself smiling back.

"I believe you," I finally said. "But I can't accept it until you tell me more." Sheila nodded at me and we sat down again. I told her about the woman I had seen in the bathroom and asked if I was being haunted the way Bonnie had been haunted by Emily. Sheila asked for a description of the woman and I gave her one, with as much detail as possible.

"I know who you're speaking of," she told me, standing up and walking away for a minute. When she returned, she had a picture with her. She held it out for me and I took it from her. There were three persons in the picture: and older woman, maybe in her forties and a younger man and woman, both in either their late teen years or early twenties. The young woman had waist long, black hair and pale skin. Her blue eyes seemed to glisten in the picture and her smile was slightly infectious.

"That's her!" I said. "Who is she?"

Sheila pointed at the the persons. "That's your grandmother, your father, almost a year before he married your mother and that is his sister, Demetria."

"Demetria," I whispered, looking at the young girl who couldn't have been older than I was now when the picture was taken. "She's my aunt?"

"Yes, she was your aunt," Sheila nodded. "She died in the same car crash as your father, just a few months after you were born. Your grandmother couldn't deal with the loss of her children, so she left and your mother moved to Los Angeles because she couldn't stay here anymore."

"Why couldn't she stay?" I asked. "Did it have something to do with the council?" I was almost taken aback by my own question. It was as if my mouth had spoken by itself.

"How do you know about the council?" she asked suspiciously.

"My aunt Liz is the Sheriff," She looked at me sceptically. "and I may have found out that vampires exist," I admitted. She sighed deeply.

"Typical Blake witches," she muttered. "Always putting their nose where it doesn't belong." I looked at her slightly offended.

"It was by accident!" I defended. "It's not as if I wanted all of these strange things to start happening to me. Besides, I still don't understand why they didn't happen while I lived in California."

"It has to do with your family," Sheila explained. "You Blake witches are special in a way."

"Great," I muttered. "So I'm strange amongst the strangest." Sheila laughed at my comment.

"No, my dear, you are _special_," she corrected me.

"Well special today equals strange."

"Are you going to let me explain or not?" Sheila asked.

"Carry on," I told her and she nodded before speaking.

"Your family lineage goes back to a time before vampires even existed. You belong to a very old house of witches, some of the first ones I believe," Sheila said. "I don't know much of your ancestors history since most of it has been kept secret for a long, long time. It's a secret that only Blake's have the right to know about." She stood up again, telling me that she would be back in a moment. After a while she returned, this time, with an old looking book and a small, black pouch. She sat down and handed me the book, which was bigger than it looked from a distance. The cover was brown, torn and as I noticed earlier, very old.

"This is your family's grimoarie," Sheila told me.

"Grimoarie?" I asked.

"Spell book," she clarified. "Your grandmother left it for me to keep safe until you came looking for the truth. She also left me this," she said, holding up the velvet pouch. She took my hand and pulled out a necklace. The pedant was round, ancient and almost coin looking. It was made out of, what looked like silver, but I couldn't quite be sure about it. In the back of it, the last name _Blake _had been carved in and the front was covered by a white tree.

"What is this?" I asked Sheila and she looked at it.

"It's your family's crest. A white tree has always been the symbol of the Blake witches," she told me. "It is also the key to opening up the grimoarie, which was spelled by some of the earliest witches."

"Spelled how?" I asked. "It won't give me an electric shock or something when I open it?"

Sheila laughed at this. "No, my dear, it won't shock you," she told me. "It was spelled so that only a true Blake witch can open it with the key." I looked at her sceptically. All of this was just too much to grasp.

"So you haven't opened it? Since my grandmother left?"

Sheila shook her head. "Your grandmother trusted me to keep it safe until you arrived. We witches are special when it comes to trust," she explained. "Try to open it, will you? I have to admit that I am curious to know what is inside it." I picked up the necklace and inspected the book closely. I noticed that the latch was carved just like the symbol on the necklace. Slowly, I put the pedant against it and pressed.

_Nothing_.

I pressed again, but nothing happened. I looked up at Sheila. "Maybe you're wrong," I told her. "Maybe I'm not one of those Blake witches," I stated. "There are lots of people with that last name."

"Yes, but not many of them _are_ related to witches. You are and there is proof, as I've already told you," Sheila answered. I looked at her again and then down at the grimoarie. Could it really be true? Could I really be a witch?

As those thoughts ran through my mind, a warm feeling flooded through my fingers again. I inspected the necklace and the pedant again before pressing it against the latch one last time. This time, the latch opened, and I looked up at Sheila, who was smiling brightly at me.

"You can never doubt, Stephanie," she told me. "If you doubt yourself, you will never be able to learn how to handle the magic inside of you and when you aren't in control, something else entirely takes over." I nodded, accepting the lesson she was teaching me, before opening the book. I looked through it quickly and frowned.

"It's empty," I stated. The old pages were completely blank. I held up the book for Sheila to see.

"Do you always start reading a book in the middle Stephanie?" she asked, a smile still upon her lips as she watched me amused. "Start from the beginning." I sighed deeply before opening up the first page.

"Well that one is blank too," I stated, getting frustrated again. I stared intently at the page, waiting for something to appear...which it suddenly did. A couple of words appeared in a foreign, Latin-looking language. "I can't read this," I told Sheila, holding up the book again. "What does it say?"

Sheila looked at the words. "They are changing; look at them!" I flipped the book around and indeed, the letters had switched places and were now forming words in perfect English.

"'Ask the correct questions'?" I read out loud. "What is that supposed to mean? Is this like in that _Harry Potter_ book with the diary?" Sheila glared at me for my sarcasm.

"No, it is not like that," she told me sternly and I suddenly got the feeling that I should apologize. Sheila looked down at the grimoarie again. "This grimoarie is special and unlike any other grimoarie. Of course, every witch has it's own unique one, but like I told you, this was spelled to protect some of magic's darkest and deepest secrets," she explained. "I suggest you do as the book asks you. Ask a question and see what happens."

I raised my eyebrows slightly. "Something tells me that you already know what will happen," I told her, but once again, she simply replied with one of her mystical smiles. "Fine," I finally huffed. I stared at the book. "Will you please show my my family tree, from my grandmother Lily, down to me?" I asked out loud, feeling stupid all over again. I flipped through a couple of pages, but they were still blank. "See, nothing is working-"

"Look!" Sheila exclaimed, pointing at the book again. I looked down and saw ink spreading across the pages. _Lily Blake_,_ Demetria, Adeline and James Blake._ The names were connected through different lines. I saw my mothers name, and my grandfathers too. In the end, my name was beautifully written, in calligraphy.

"Adeline? Who is she?" I asked Sheila.

"She was your aunt," Sheila said. "She left along with your grandmother but since your grandmothers death, no one has seen her or heard from her." I traced over the name with my finger.

"So she might be alive?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.

"She might be," Sheila said. "If you ever find her, she might be able to help you learn more about your magic. I'll help you as much as I can with the normal things, but when it comes to your special abilities, I might not be of much use," she told me.

"Special abilities?" I repeated and Sheila nodded.

"Have you ever read anyone's mind?" she asked me and I thought back to school, when I heard Elena talk even though her lips hadn't moved.

"Maybe, I don't know," I answered.

"Your grandmother told me that you can 'turn it off', if it bothers you," she said.

"How?" I asked quickly. If there was a way for me to keep the thoughts of others outside of my head, it would be great, especially during history.

"By not listening," Sheila replied, as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Is it really that easy?" I asked and she nodded.

"You're curious, which is normal. You're probably not even aware that you sometimes wish you could know what someone is thinking and that way, by wishing it, you open the door to mind reading," she explained. "I can't really explain it any better, since I'm only repeating what your grandmother told me years ago," she added upon seeing my confused face.

"So all I have to do is stop wanting to know what people think and then it will go away?" I asked and she nodded again. "What about the nightmares? And Demetria's ghost haunting me?"

Sheila pointed at the grimoarie. "Why don't you just ask? I'm sure it'll answer some of your questions," she said thoughtfully. I nodded and looked at the book. Did I have to ask the questions out loud all the time? It would be much easier it I could just-

As if it had heard me, the book started spewing out words one the pages. I looked at the words, which were written in English this time. Apparently, the grimoarie could translate too. This would be great for my French lessons. I looked at one extract and read it out loud:

"'_We are all connected through our lineage. When one of us is unveiling her heritage, another one from the past shall come to help_,'" I read, looking up at Sheila. "Does that mean that I saw Demetria only because I've just begun discovering my powers?" I asked and she nodded.

"I suppose it does. What does the grimoarie say about the nightmares?" she asked and I looked down again.

"There all look like old journal entries. Listen to this: '_The nightmares have come back. I have not seen the darkness inside of me since I was a young maiden. I am no longer afraid, for I know that whatever the demon does to harm me, I can heal myself with my mind as long as I know it has no power. I am a Blake and I am strong,_'" I read. "It says that Augustina Blake wrote this in 1507," I added. "Have a look yourself," I said, handing the grimoarie over to Sheila.

"Are you sure that you are letting me read this?" she asked and I nodded. She looked at me before finally beginning to read out loud. "'_All Blake witches have experienced it; we all know how much it hurts. To be in a world filled with darkness and then not to be able to dream of anything but darkness, is a curse we all carry, until we realize that light is necessary for darkness to exist._' Morgan Blake wrote that in 1150," she told me.

"A darkness inside of me? Is that what the nightmares are about? Am I evil or something?" Panic stared to rise inside of me, but Sheila put a hand over mine, shaking her head.

"No dear, you are certainly not evil. Every witch has potential to turn to darkness, but you know that good is the true way," she told me. "Maybe this other note by Morgan will explain the nightmares more," she said, handing over the book to me again, pointing at the extract she was talking about.

"'_Fear is what gives the demon power. If we control our fears, we control the demon_,'" I read. "It makes no sense! What fear is she talking about? I'm not afraid of anything," I said and Sheila shook her head.

"There must have been something that got triggered when your mother died," Sheila explained. "If you confront and admit your fear, the nightmares should stop."

"How do you know? It's not as if you're the one that has been being physically bullied by some 'demon' inside of you," I snorted and Sheila smiled at me again. I was getting very annoyed by her at the moment.

"That 'demon', is a metaphor for your fear. Your grandmother told me that she got rid of her nightmares by telling the one person she would trust her life with, even though she wasn't sure that the person _would_ save her. The most important thing is that you're honest and true to the person," she told me. "You need to face your fears and tell the person who you are and what happened to you. When you do so, your powers will come naturally and you will be able to block out any powers that bother you, such as the mind reading perhaps." We sat in silence for a while as I contemplated what she had just told me.

"It's getting dark outside," Sheila suddenly said. "Maybe you should head home and think about facing your demons." As she spoke, a small smile played on her lips. I had always had the feeling that Bonnie's grandmother was a serious person, but for some reason she didn't seem to be able to stop smiling at me. I would have to ask her about that another time.

"If I accept all of this, will you help me handle it and teach me, like you teach Bonnie?" I asked her and she nodded.

"You'll be my student, just like Bonnie is," she replied. "I told you that I would teach you as much as I could about what I know and with the things your grandmother explained. We might be able to learn more now that you've opened the grimoarie too, but you need to learn of your heritage by yourself. I will be by your side the whole time though," she told me and I nodded.

"Thank you so much for your help Sheila," I told her. "Please don't tell anyone about this, not even Bonnie. I think I need to accept it first before I tell anyone." Once again she nodded at me and I walked over to the door, the grimoarie in my arms and the necklace around my neck. As walked out of the house, I turned to look at Sheila again.

"What happens if I don't accept this?" I asked and she tilted her head, looking at me strangely.

"I don't believe you would be able to deny such a big part of who you are," she said. "However, it would be your choice. We'll just have to deal with that when we get to that part."

"Thank you," I told her again, before walking off. I could feel how she watched after me and suddenly, I felt protected.

* * *

I walked out of my house and locked the door after me. After I had left Sheila's house, I had brought the grimoarie with me home and hid it in my closet behind a couple of boxes that I knew my aunt would never touch. I had quickly changed into some clean clothes and put on a pair of converse before walking off to the Boarding House again. I knew that I needed to talk to Damon about all of this. He might just be the one person that I could trust with all of this...even if he did try to kill my friend last night.

Just as I arrived and was about to knock on the door, it opened and Elena jumped back, a frightened look on her face.

"Elena?" I asked as she pushed past me and ran towards her car that was in the driveway. "Elena!" I called and ran after her. She got into her car and I followed, forgetting completely about the reason I had come here. "What is going on?" I asked, but Elena ignored me, putting the key in the ignition and starting the car. Seconds later, we were on our way away from the Boarding house. Elena had fear still written all over her face, which didn't make any sense since she already knew about vampires. "Elena, please calm down and drive slower," I told her soothingly. "Tell me what happened." She looked at me as if for the first time noticing that I was there.

"S-She looks just l-like me," she managed to stutter out through tears. I frowned at her.

"Who?" I asked.

"Katherine," Elena replied and I froze. Katherine? The vampire who turned Stefan and Damon back in 1864? Why would she look like Elena?

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw a figure appear in the middle of the road. "ELENA LOOK OUT!" I screamed, but it was already too late. I closed my eyes, felt a bang against my chest and heard tires screech before it all turned black...

* * *

_**A/N: GAH! Yes, xXbriannaXx! Steffy is a witch! And a special one too! I could hardly conttain myself from telling you after seeing your review, but I had to! Hahaha!**_

_**I tried to explain as much as I could about Steffy and her heritage. As you can see, I didn't want Steffy to be just any witch so that's why I made up this whole "Blake witch" thing. It will play a role in the story later on too, but since you're all so smart, I think you've already figured that out...**_

_**Anyway, what did you think of the chapter? I had a lot of just Steffy in there but you did get a few Deffy moments as well! I hope you liked them! ;) Oh and if there are any questions relating to Steffy and her being a witch, feel free to ask. A lot of her heritage will be discovered throughout the chapters, so if something isn't very clear, tell me and I'll make sure to explain as much as I can! =)**_

_**Also, I have a question for you that I would like to have answered:**_

_**You know I've decided to keep to the original plot and all, except that I put in Steffy in the mix: The following chapter is the one with the road trip in Georgia. Do you want Damon to bring Elena along, or do you just want Steffy there? I was thinking of having Elena there as well and maybe have her notice all the Deffy moments that I'm gonna swing your way in the next chapter... Anyway, you tell me what you think and I'll see what I'll do!**_

_**So, please please please review! Tomorrow is Monday and I skipped showering so I could finish this for you guys and now I have to wake up early and take a shower before school! Urgh, please tell me it was worth it by reviewing! It would mean a lot to me!**_

_**Lots and lots of hugs and love!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**P.S. I am so happy because I found the PERFECT prom dress! :D Okay, bye now!**_


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey you guys! What's up?! ****_Hahahaha! Okaaaay... Back to business! _**

**_So, I decided to write this chapter yesterday and I finished it then too, but I figured I should wait one day to post it after I spell check it and all and now that I've done so, I've decided to post it!_**

**_I want to thank all of those who reviewed on the last chapter: grapejuice101, aireagle92, SomebodyWhoCares, sadhbh2323, RockaRosalie and last but not least 1llu510n! Thank you to all of you for your lovely reviews, pushing me to write more chapters and all! Thank you!_**

**_And a thank you to those who put the story on alert/favorite and who put me as a writer on alert/favorite too! It really means a lot! Thanks!_**

**_So, back to the story now: It's ROAD TRIP TIME! Yeah! I've had this chapter stuck in my brain for so long that I just needed to get it out before I could start writing on my Swedish-presentation for Wednesday! Hmm... I really need to start working on that now..._**

**_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please review and if there are any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes please tell me since English isn't my first language!_**

**_Have a good read!_**

* * *

Chapter 11: Bloodlines

My eyes slowly fluttered open. I breathed in and suddenly it felt like my lungs were on fire. Why couldn't I breathe? I tried inhaling through my nose, feeling how the burning slowly ceased. I looked to my right and saw Elena, hanging unconscious from the ceiling... That's when I realized that I too was up-side-down. I looked to my left and saw the man we had hit laying in the middle of the road. Was he dead?

I tried to reach my seatbelt, but my fingers felt frozen for some reason. I coughed, feeling a coppery taste in my mouth. I looked at Elena again and then back at the man. Suddenly, he began moving. I heard bones cracking and realized he was putting back his dislocated limbs.

"Oh my God..." I whispered as the man stood up completely. It wasn't possible. How could he be alive...unless... "Vampire..." I whispered and began struggling to get out of the car. He was approaching me and I felt panic rise inside of me. He was going to kill me. And probably Elena too! I fiddled with the seatbelt again, but once again I couldn't remove it. Soon, the vampire was by the car and I found myself screaming. The next thing I knew, the vampire ran off. I calmed down for only a second, letting out a breath but a second after that, Damon's face popped up in front of me.

"Ah!" I let out and he looked at me.

"How are the two of you doing in there?" he asked, inspecting the car.

"Damon?" I asked, not knowing if it was really him or if this was just some hallucination caused from the car crash.

"You two look pretty stuck," he told me and I felt like rolling my eyes.

"Elena's unconscious and I can't get my seatbelt off," I told him and he reached for it. "No! Get Elena out first," I demanded, letting out yet another cough.

"You look more hurt than she does," he argued, looking at my hand and arm that were bleeding from the shattered glass.

I shot him a glare. "She's unconscious Damon. I'm not," I said sternly and he sped over to Elena's side, getting her out quickly. He disappeared for a moment, probably letting Elena down on the side of the road and then he was back at my side.

"Put your hands on the roof so I can get your seatbelt off," he instructed and I obliged without any arguments. He put his hand over my stomach and looked at me. "You ready?" he asked and I nodded. "1,2,3-" I felt him pull on the belt and suddenly I fell onto his arm. He pulled me out, mumbling an "I got you" before picking me up. "Are you okay? Can you stand?" I nodded and he put me down but almost immediately I fell back into his arms. He forced me to look at him. "Steph, are you okay? You're fading pretty quickly. Look at me." He put one of his hands on my cheek while his other arm was wrapped around my waist. "What happened?" he asked.

"Elena..." I managed to get out. "S-She said something about Katherine... Katherine looks like Elena..." I mumbled as I once again fell into darkness...

* * *

I could hear the sound of an engine in the distance. Hadn't Elena and I crashed? I slowly opened my eyes, groaning as I moved my arm lightly, feeling a stinging pain in it.

"I suggest you don't try to move around too much," a voice beside me said. I turned to my right and saw Damon sitting there, driving his car as if nothing was wrong.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around, not recognizing my surroundings.

"Morning to you too," he replied and I shot him a glare.

"Damon..." I said in a warning tone.

"We're in Georgia," he told me and I looked around again.

"Georgia?" I repeated and he nodded. "No, no, no! Damon, we can't be in Georgia!"

"And why not?" he asked amused.

"Because we hit a man! Because we were in a car crash and my aunt is probably worried sick," I told him and he let out a low chuckle.

"How are you feeling by the way?" he asked, ignoring me completely.

"My arm hurts, but I've been through worse," I told him honestly and he nodded.

"I noticed the scars on your arms and back when I checked on you," he said and I felt my cheeks heat up.

"You undressed me?" I asked angrily and he shook his head.

"Nope, but you pretty much admitted to having them so I'm just assuming I'm right," he replied smugly and I glared at him. Instead of defending myself and trying to cover up my tiny slip-up, I looked at him curiously.

"So how did you know about them then?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"I saw the way you kept wincing every time Caroline or one of your friends hugged you," he told me. "Besides, I thought I smelled blood around you the night of Stefan's birthday, so I guess that gave it away too."

"Oh," I managed to get out. I decided to go back to the original topic. "But the man Elena and I hit? H-He stood up again and then ran off just before you got to us... Who was he?" I asked and Damon frowned, keeping his eyes on the road.

"That's what I would like to know," he told me.

"Where is Elena?" I asked and looked in the backseat only to see her laying there, still unconscious. I looked at her worriedly. "Is she okay?" I asked Damon and he nodded.

"She woke up once, mumbled something about Katherine and then fainted again. I've checked her too and I have to say, she got out way better than you did," Damon told me and looked at him confusedly.

"How come? The only thing that hurts is my arm," I told him and he nodded.

"Exactly," he said. "Your arm and hand were cut by the glass and both your nose and your lower lip were bleeding when I found the two of you." I remembered the coppery taste in my mouth.

"Well, I'm better now," I told him.

"If you want, I could give you some of my blood," he suggested. "Just in case there's any internal bleeding that we don't know about." He had a smirk on his face but I shook my head.

"I don't want any," I told him.

"It'll help you heal. You saw what Stefan's blood did to Bonnie the other night," he argued, but I kept shaking my head.

"I said I didn't want any so just stop offering," I told him.

"Are you always this stubborn?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Only when I'm around you," I replied sarcastically and he smirked.

"That makes me feel very special, _Stephanie_." I liked the way he said my name...

"Shut up already and turn around. I'm not coming to Georgia with you," I told him and he laughed.

"But we're already _in _Georgia," he said. I heard a groan from the backseat. I turned around and looked at Elena, who was waking up.

"Georgia?" she mumbled. "Who's in Georgia?" she asked. She looked at me and then at Damon.

"Morning Elena!" Damon said in a cheery voice.

"_We_ are in Georgia Elena," I told her and suddenly she sat up.

"We can't be in Georgia!" she exclaimed.

"That's what I said!" I told her, shooting a glare at Damon. Elena looked at me and then at Damon.

"Pull over Damon," she demanded.

"We've already come this far-" Damon began, but I interrupted him.

"Pull over Damon! She looks as if she's going to be sick," I told him and he abruptly hit the breaks. Elena jumped out of the car and I followed her, holding back her hair as she threw up on the side of the road. I had to look away because I was actually feeling quite nauseated myself.

"You two were much more fun when you were asleep," Damon pouted at us. Elena stood up, wiping her lips and looking at me gratefully. She looked over at Damon.

"Where's my phone?" she asked and on reflex I reached for my own in my back pocket.

"Where is _my_ phone?" I asked, realizing mine was gone as well. Damon pulled out a phone from his pocket, holding it up for us to see.

"You, Stephanie, have several missed calls from your aunt and your cousin," he told me, throwing the phone to me. I caught it quickly and looked at the messages Caroline had sent me, asking me where I was. I looked up at Elena and then looked at Damon.

"We need to go back Damon," I told him. "Caroline and Liz must be worried sick about me."

Elena nodded. "We need to go back," she repeated, looking at Damon as well. He rolled his eyes at us.

"Look, we've already come this far," he told us and I glared at him.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked suspiciously. It wasn't as if he couldn't have left us at home or something before taking off.

"I wrecked my car Damon," Elena said. "I need to go home! This is kidnapping." Damon rolled his eyes at her.

"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?" he asked and I let out a chuckle but Elena kept glaring at him.

"You're not funny," she stated, but for some reason he was looking at me and I was still stupidly smiling at him after his joke.

"Stephanie seems to think I am," he retorted. I shook my head and looked away, afraid that I might burst out laughing after seeing Elena's expression.

"You can't do this. We're not going to Georgia," Elena said, once again stern.

"We're already _in _Georgia," Damon repeated. "You, without your magical little necklace, I might add," he said and my eyes drifted to Elena's neck. Her vervain filled necklace wasn't there. "I can very easily make you...agreeable," Damon finished but then his eyes flickered to me.

"What are you trying to prove?" Elena asked, just as a phone began to ring. Elena frowned. "That's my phone," she said and Damon picked it up from his pocket. Damon looked at the called-ID and smirked.

"It's your boyfriend," he said. "I'll take it." He picked up the phone and started talking to Stefan. I watched him and Elena and then slowly walked away a bit so that I wouldn't bother the two of them. I sat down by the side of the road, just a few meters away and picked up my own phone. I texted Caroline:

"_I'm okay Care. I just went to visit some friends. I'll probably be back later today." _I pressed send and only a few seconds later, I got an reply:

"**You had me worried sick! Call me?"**

I typed an answer quickly.

"_Can't. Bad reception. I'll call you as soon as I can. Tell Liz I'm okay and that she doesn't need to worry."_

Caroline replied with an "okay" and I put my phone back into my pocket. I looked back towards Damon's car. Elena had gotten into the car again and I could see that she was fuming and annoyed by Damon. He was nowhere to be seen. I stood up and suddenly, I felt someone putting an arm around my waist. I jumped and turned around to see Damon smirking at me.

"What are you doing?" I asked and he looked at me innocently.

"I'm helping you walk back to the car," he told me.

"I'm not coming with you. You can't compel me, remember? No one knows where I am so can we please just go back?" I pouted and he looked at me.

"But we're almost there Steph," he whined. "Just a little bit further."

"Where exactly is 'there'?" I asked and he rolled his eyes at me.

"A little place right outside of Atlanta," he told me and I glared at him. "Come on, Steph. You don't wanna go back right now. What's the rush anyway?" he asked and I shrugged.

"I just..." I trailed off, remembering where I had been going last night before getting into the car with Elena. I had been going to visit Damon. I had been about to tell him that I was apparently a witch and I had been about to tell him what I was afraid of so that maybe my nightmares would stop.

Damon looked at me. "Time-out," he told me. "Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home," he said. "Just step away from your life for 5 minutes." He did make a point. I might aw well take the day off and not think of anything supernatural before admitting that everything around me is crashing down.

"Am I going to be safe with you?" I asked him and his eyes seemed to soften for a moment.

"Yes," he replied, putting a strand of hair behind my ear, like he had done so many times before.

"And you wont try to compel Elena?" I asked and he nodded again. "Fine," I said. A grin slowly spread across his face. "I'm trusting you," I told him. "Don't make me regret it." Once again, he wrapped his arm around my waist and then picked me up swiftly. "What are you doing?" I asked, closing my eyes as he sped back to the car. He put me back down again and then put a hand on either side of me. My back was pressed against the car as he leaned towards me. His eyes flickered down for a moment and suddenly he smirked.

"I was just helping you," he whispered in amusement.

"I didn't need any help," I whispered back angrily. I pushed him away and got back into the front seat. Elena looked at me with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"What was that about?" she asked and I looked at her.

"Damon is just being stupid as usual," I told her, just as Damon got back into the car.

"You know you love it," he told me and I smacked his arm.

"Just drive. The sooner we get home, the better," I said and turned to look out the window. I couldn't however hide the small smile that was playing at my lips as I heard Damon chuckle beside me.

* * *

A while later, the scenery had begun to change. More road signs turned up and I realized we must be getting closer to Atlanta. I wonder where we're going...

"So," Elena said, interrupting my thoughts. "Where's my car?" she asked Damon. I looked at him, quite curious to find out myself. My aunt would probably be on that case since it was in her jurisdiction and I couldn't help but imagine the worried look on her face when she found out that it was my blood in it.

"I pulled it off to the side of the road," Damon said. "I don't think anyone will bother it there," he told her.

"And the man I hit?" Elena asked. "Was he still alive?" She sounded worried. I realized that we still hadn't told her that he had woken up again and charged towards us while she was still unconscious.

"He turned out to be a vampire Elena," I told her and she looked at me.

"A vampire?" she asked, looking at Damon for confirmation.

"From what I could tell, yeah," he replied.

"You didn't know him?" I asked and Damon shook his head.

"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him," he told me. "It's not as if we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill," he said, pulling up in front of a place called "Bree's Bar".

"Where are we?" Elena asked, looking outside.

"You brought us to a bar?" I asked Damon sceptically. "Damon, both Elena and I are underage. They are not going to let us in."

"Sure they will," he replied and I realized how stupid I was being. Damon was a vampire. He could compel the people inside the bar and they wouldn't ask us anything about our age.

We got out of the car and headed towards the bar. As we entered a tall woman with curly black hair turned to look at us. She grinned widely as we approached the bar, quickly jumping over it.

"No, no. It can't be," she said as she headed towards us. "Damon," she said. "My honey pie." As she spoke the last words, she grabbed him and pressed her lips against his in a heated kiss. I felt a pang in my chest and looked away from them. I felt sick to my stomach for some reason. As they pulled apart, Damon smirked at the woman and turned to me and Elena who were still awkwardly looking away.

"Bree," he said to the tall woman. "This is Elena Gilbert and her lovely friend Stephanie Blake," he said. "Elena, Steffy, this is Bree." Bree turned to look at me and instantly I felt as if something was wrong.

"Hi," I said, waving lightly at her, trying to push away that awful feeling in my gut.

"Let's go to the bar and have a drink," Damon suggested, not sensing the awkward situation at all. Bree led us to the bar and we all sat down on the stools. Damon sat down in between me and Elena and I glared at him when he put his hand on my thigh. I smacked it away, but he just grinned at me as if I was amusing him.

"Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!" Bree exclaimed as she poured shots for everyone. "Drink up," she said and both she and Damon took their shots. "Whoo!" Bree exclaimed. "So, how'd he rope you two in?" she asked, pouring me and Elena two shots.

"Actually, he hasn't roped us in. Elena's dating his brother and I-"

"Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride," Bree told me, pushing the shot towards me. I looked at it and pushed it away.

"I'm sorry, but I don't drink," I told her. "And I am certainly _not_, going to enjoy the ride," I said, looking straight at Damon who had been smirking when Bree had told me that.

His smirk was still on his face. "Why don't you have a few shots and we'll see about that later?" he suggested shamelessly and I could feel myself blush.

"As I said, I don't drink," I repeated.

"And why not?" he asked curiously.

"Because," I said, not wanting to get into it. We stayed quiet, not taking our eyes off of each other before Elena cleared her throat.

"So, how did you two meet?" she asked Bree. I turned away from Damon's gaze and looked at Bree again.

"College," she answered and I scoffed looking back at Damon.

"You went to college?" I asked sceptically.

"I've been to a college campus, yes," he replied, a tiny glint in his eyes as he said. I nearly shuddered after I realized that he must have just been there to pick up girls.

"Creep," I muttered, looking back at Bree again. I knew Damon had heard me, because once again, his hand was on my thigh. I slapped it away, just like last time and he once again chuckled.

"About 20 years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love," Bree told us, never taking her eyes off of Damon. "And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more," she said. "Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody." I looked at Damon, who leaned closer.

"She's a witch," he whispered to me. I looked at Bree again. Maybe that had been the strange feeling when I had met her? If I was a witch too, I might have just sensed that Bree was one. Like I had done with Bonnie's grandmother.

"Changed my world, you know," Bree said and Damon smirked.

"I rocked your world," he said, once again shamelessly. Bree for some reason turned to look at me.

"He is goo in the sack, isn't he?" she asked me and I shrugged.

"Wouldn't know," I told her.

"Maybe you should try and find out?" Damon suggested.

"Maybe you should try and stop being an ass?" I replied, shooting daggers at him. Elena looked at me from behind Damon. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at us and I looked away.

"Mostly he's just a walk away Joe," Bree told me with a smile. "So," she turned to look at Damon again. "What is it that you want?"

"I need to go call my aunt," I said, getting up. "I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," Elena said. "I need to call Jenna anyway."

We walked outside and I called aunt Liz.

"_Stephanie, where are you?_" my aunt asked as soon as she picked up.

"I'm with some friends," I told her honestly. "I'm alright."

"_With some friends? I haven't seen you for two whole days and all you tell me is that you're with some friends?_" she asked, sounding worried.

"I'm okay aunt Liz," I told her again.

"_I was worried. We found Elena's car on the side of the road and I was worried you might have been with her_," she said. "_Caroline said that you texted her that you were okay and that you would be back tonight._"

"I promise I'll be back," I said. "I'll probably be fast asleep when you get home after work." She let out a small laugh.

"_Please don't let me get this worried again,_" she said.

"I wont. I'll see you tomorrow morning," I told her and said good bye. I looked over at Elena who was still talking on the phone. After she hung up I walked up to her.

"Let's head back inside," I told her but she grabbed my hand, looking at me suspiciously.

"Wait," she said. "What's going on between you and Damon?" I looked at her and frowned. I was taken aback by her bluntness.

"What?" I asked and she looked at me.

"He has been _touching_ you way to freely... You haven't slept with-"

"Oh my God Elena! No!" I exclaimed, covering my eyes in embarrassment. "No, I haven't slept with Damon and I certainly haven't been planning to either," I told her.

"So the looks you two are sharing mean nothing then?" she pressed with her arms crossed across her chest.

"What looks?" I asked confused.

"The 'I-want-to-eat-you'-look," she said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Trust me, the only looks he's getting from me are the 'you're-an-ass'-looks," I told her. "And if Damon is looking at me that way, it's because he's a vampire, nothing else." Elena still didn't looked convinced. "Let's just go inside please," I said. "I have this uneasy feeling in my gut. Something is off with that Bree-chick," I told Elena who smiled slightly.

"It's not jealousy speaking now, is it?" she asked and I shot her a glare.

"No, it's not," I told her. "Let's go inside." Elena's phone began ringing again. She checked the caller-ID.

"It's Stefan, I need to take this," she said and I nodded.

"I'll be inside," I told her and walked back inside the bar. As I approached Damon and Bree, I picked up on their conversation.

"After all these years, it's still only Katherine," Bree said. "How do you even know she's still alive?"

Damon gave her a look. "Well, you help me get into that tomb and we'll find out," he said simply. I felt yet another pang in my chest. What was that?

"I already did. 20 years ago. Remember?" Bree asked. "Three easy steps—Comet. Crystal. Spell."

Damon shifted in his seat. "There's a little problem with number two," he said. "I don't have the crystal."

"That's it Damon," Bree said. "There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."

"What about a new spell with a new crystal that overrides Emily's spell?" Damon suggested.

"It doesn't work that way baby," Bree replied. "Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb." Her eyes flickered to me before she walked off to serve some people at the bar. I turned away and walked over to the window to watch Elena as she spoke on the phone to Stefan. She looked upset and angry. I decided I should walk outside and try talking to her about what happened at the boarding house before I got there last night. As I turned around, I walked straight into Damon.

"You okay?" he asked and I stared at him.

"I'm fine. I was just walking outside to talk to Elena. She's upset with Stefan and she needs a friend," I told him.

"I'll come with you," he offered but I put up my hand to stop him.

"Don't pretend you care Damon," I told him before walking outside.

"What do you mean?" he asked, appearing in front of me with his vamp-speed.

"Don't do that," I said in a hushed tone. "Someone might see you."

"What do you mean Stephanie?" he asked again and I rolled my eyes.

"I know why you came here. You just wanted to find out if there was another way to free Katherine from the tomb," I stated and he raised an eyebrow.

"So?" I couldn't help but glare at him.

"I don't know," I told him. "I'm just feeling strange about everything."

He chuckled at me. "Is that jealousy I hear in you tone?" he asked and I glared at him again.

"No, it isn't," I told him. "There's just something off with Bree. I don't know what it is, but I suggest you don't trust her as much as you seem to be doing."

"You're imagining things Steffy," he told me. "If there was something off, I would have sensed it. She's all over me, just like she was twenty years ago," he smirked, putting his hand on my hip. I pushed him away.

"Fine," I said. "Don't listen to me." I walked past him and walked towards Elena. Damon followed, probably just to annoy me even more.

"You okay Elena?" I asked as I reached her. She shook her head.

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't understand how Katherine and I can look exactly alike and Stefan has been lying about it." I stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"It'll be okay. If you can get past Stefan being a vampire, you'll get past this too," I told her. She nodded slowly.

"I'll just have to talk to him when I get home I guess," she said and I gave her yet another reassuring nod.

"Well," Damon interrupted. "I know that food might help you think of something else."

"I'm not hungry," I said, just as my stomach growled. "You heard that coming!" I accused and he put up his hands in defense.

"I was just making a suggestion," he said. "It was your stomach that decided to make it's voice heard." He smirked at me as I brushed past him.

"Fine," I said. "But you're paying."

* * *

"Let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine," Elena said as she ate. "Does that make me part vampire?"

Damon shook his head. "Vampires can't procreate," he told her. "But we love to try," he added, looking at me suggestively. Elena, who was sitting between us this time, looked from him to me and then back to him again. His suggestive tones were probably just making her suspicions stronger. "If you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned," Damon continued, looking back at Elena.

"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?" Elena asked.

"Kinda creepy if you ask me," Damon said and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't listen to him Elena," I told her. "Stefan loves you for you and not because you look like Katherine," I said, removing the pickles from my burger.

"Come on, what?" Damon said, reaching over and taking my pickles. "You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?"

"I just don't like them," I defended.

"How can you even eat?" Elena asked, interrupting Damon before he could reply to me. "If technically you're supposed to be..." She trailed off.

"Dead?" Damon asked. "It's not such a bad word Elena," he told her. "As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally," he then explained.

"And this nice act. Is any of it real?" Elena asked. "Or are you just nice because Steffy's here?" I choked on my burger.

"Elena!" I exclaimed, looking at her. Then I looked at Damon, who for some reason seemed to have frozen for a moment.

"Here you go," Bree said, handing Damon a beer. He took it and took a sip from it.

"Thank you," he said, ignoring Elena's question.

"I'll have one too," Elena said.

"Elena?" I asked, surprised by her request. Was I going to be the only sober one here?

"Time out, remember? If we're having a time out, it's going to need a beer," Elena said.

"There you go," Bree said, handing Elena a beer. I watched as Elena took a swig.

This was going to be a long day...

* * *

It didn't take long before everyone in the bar got into a drinking game. I was still sitting there, watching them awkwardly as they took shot after shot.

"Ready...Go!" Bree said and they all took another shot. Elena clapped her hands excitedly.

"That's three," she said, grinning at Damon. "Do you need a bib?" she mocked and Damon let out a laugh.

"Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol," he replied.

"Whatever," Elena said. She seemed to have loosened up a lot. "Alright, who's next? Another round Bree," she said and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll have a glass of water Bree," I said and Bree handed me some. "Please don't give Elena anything," I added and Elena laughed.

"I'm not even drunk," she said. "My tolerance is like," she reached for the sky, "way up here."

"Alright. Here you go," Bree said, pouring another round of shots. I rolled my eyes and stood up. I took my glass of water and walked off to the window, looking outside. It was getting dark out there. The sun was already setting.

I turned around when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Damon, what do you want?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be watching Elena so that she doesn't do something stupid?"

"Actually, I was more interested in finding out why you aren't joining us in our drinking game," he admitted. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I told you already that I don't drink," I said.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're one of those goody-goody's that refuse to drink alcohol," he groaned and I shook my head.

"I used to drink Damon. I'm not as innocent as you think," I told him and he smirked.

"Oh, and here I was, hoping that I would get to be the one to corrupt you," he said seductively, trailing a finger across my collarbone.

"Well, I refuse to drink, it's as simple as that. Nothing you say or do can make me change my mind," I told him.

"Why not? Tell me why you don't drink," he said. His tone wasn't demanding, but he was obviously curious.

"It's none of your business," I told him.

"Come on Steffy," he pressed.

"Fine," I snapped. He looked at me strangely, almost as if he hadn't expected that to be my reply. I was just trying to get him off my case. "My mom was killed by a drunk driver," I told him. "Since she died, I haven't touched alcohol and I never will." It felt as if a knot was being untied slowly inside of me. My breath hitched and I looked out the window again. "Now you know. Please, just leave me alone," I whispered. I could see his reflection in the window. He had raised his hand, almost as if he was going to put it on my shoulder, but then stopped. I heard him sigh and then watched him walk away. I took another breath and then walked off to a pool table, beginning a new game on my own. Once in a while, I felt as if someone was watching me. One time when I looked up, I saw Damon gazing at me from the bar while Elena drank. The other time, it was Bree, with a suspicious look on her face. I still hadn't gotten rid of the feeling that something was wrong.

* * *

After a while Elena had walked over to join me. Damon was still at the bar and he wasn't looking our way anymore.

"I'm winning," Elena said but I shook my head.

"No," I told her. "You're drunk and you're imagining things." Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She stumbled over to pick it up.

"Hello?" she answered. "Jenna! Hold on, it's loud in here," she said and walked off. I watched her as she stepped outside of the bar. I figured it would be better if I followed her to watch her, in case she fell over or something. I walked outside and looked around, but Elena was nowhere to be seen. I looked down and saw her phone on the ground.

"What the hell..." I mumbled, just as someone grabbed me from behind. I struggled, trying to get loose, but the person was too strong for me. Something inside of me was screaming _vampire_ and suddenly, that bad feeling inside of me was back again.

The man who had grabbed me sped to the back of the bar, over to an electrical building where Elena was holding on to a tank.

"Steffy!" she exclaimed when the man dropped me to the ground. I turned around to look at our abductor but he was gone. Seconds later, I heard footsteps. I turned to see Damon approaching.

"Damon, no!" I yelled, just as the man attacked him with a wooden plank. This was all a trick! A trick to get Damon. The man kept hitting Damon and I saw Elena jump down from the tank and running towards them. I jumped to my feet too.

"What the hell," Damon groaned.

"No!" both Elena and I yelled at the same time as the man poured gasoline on Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon asked and the man glared at him.

"That's perfect. You have no idea," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked. "What did he do?" The man turned to glare at us. Panic was rising inside of me. Was he going to kill Damon?

"He killed my girlfriend," the man growled. "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?" the man yelled at Damon.

"Nothing," Damon managed to get out. I was still frozen. I could barely breathe as the man poured gasoline over Damon again.

"I don't understand," Elena said. At least someone was able to talk. I kept staring at Damon who was still helplessly laying on the ground. Why wasn't he even trying to defend himself? Was this vampire stronger than him?

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?" The man hit Damon with a bat and Damon groaned. Suddenly something inside of me clicked.

"Lexi?" I asked and the man looked up at me. "Damon _killed_ Lexi?" I looked from the man to Damon, who was still on the ground. Damon's eyes met with mine and I gasped when I realized it was true. I didn't want to believe it. Lexi was a vampire and Damon _killed _her? His brother's best friend?

"Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend?" Elena asked. "She told me about you. She said that you were human." The man looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"I was," he told her and instantly a cold feeling ran through me.

"Lexi turned you?" I asked and he nodded.

"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever," he told us.

"She loved you." Elena said. "She said that, 'when it's real, you can't walk away.'" My eyes drifted towards Damon again.

"Well, that's a choice you're not going to have to make," the man said.

"Don't. Please don't hurt him-" I begged as he lit a match.

"I'm doing you a favor," he told me and held the match over Damon. Damon looked over at me, his eyes wide. Panic rose again. Just as the man was about to drop the match, I felt a warmth running through me. "STOP!" I yelled, holding out my hand. My heart was racing and I watched as the man froze in his place.

"Why can't I move?" he asked angrily. I frowned. What did he just say? "Why. Can't. I. Move?" he demanded again. I looked at my hand and then at him again.

"I'm not going to let you move until you calm down," I told him. Elena looked at me strangely.

"Are you doing this?" she whispered and I found myself automatically nodding.

"Talk to him Elena," I said, feeling how I needed to concentrate on whatever I was doing at the moment.

"Lexi loved you," Elena said. "And she was good. That means you're good too," she told the man. "Be better than him. Don't do this. We're begging you! Please." The man took a few breaths.

"You can let go of me now," he said calmly. I hesitated for a second, but I knew that what Elena had said had convinced him. I let my hand drop, feeling how the warmth disappeared again and the man threw the match, which had stopped burning, to the side. He then picked up Damon and threw him against the building. I gasped at the sudden movement, but he then stopped attacking him. I ran over to Damon and sat down on the ground beside him, putting my hand to his cheek. I turned to look at the man.

"Thank you," I managed to get out.

"It wasn't for you," he said and then sped off. Elena ran towards us and Damon put his hand over mine that was still resting on his cheek. He was breathing heavily, but I knew he would recover. I looked up at Elena, who was watching me warily.

"Let's go home," I said and they both nodded in agreement.

* * *

A couple of minutes later Elena walked to the car and I followed her.

"This was an interesting day," I muttered as we reached the vehicle.

"Yeah," she agreed. "What happened back there? How did you manage to stop Lexi's boyfriend like that?" she asked me and I turned to look at her.

"I have something to tell you Elena," I said. "Yesterday, I went to visit Bonnie's grandmother. I've been having nightmares ever since I arrived in Mystic Falls and I wanted her help. She..." I trailed off for a moment. "She told me that I was a witch," I finally admitted. Elena gaped at me.

"A witch? You mean, like Bonnie?" she asked and I nodded.

"I suppose. My family lineage however is different and apparently I belong to a special kind of witches... I'll tell you all about it tomorrow though, I think I forgot my cardigan in the bar," I said, rubbing my right arm with my left hand.

Elena nodded. "I wont tell anyone until you're ready," she told me and I smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you," I said before walking towards the bar again and entered without a sound. I found my cardigan and began walking back but stopped abruptly when I heard Damon's voice.

"Good to see you again Damon," I heard Bree say.

"No kiss?" Damon asked and I frowned. Why was he meeting up with her again? I thought we had agreed on leaving.

"I'm full of vervain. I put it in everything I drink," Bree said. Why was she suddenly so sad and...scared?

"And you're telling me this why?" Damon inquired.

"Lexi was my friend," Bree said. "How could you?" Suddenly it all made sense. That strange vibe I got around Bree. She must have called Lexi's boyfriend as soon as we entered the bar! My suspicions were right... I hurt a noise. It sounded as if someone had torn into someone elses flesh. I didn't even dare to look around the corner. "The tomb can be opened!" Bree suddenly said. Her voice sounded strained.

"You're lying," Damon said.

"Emily's grimoire, her spellbook. If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book. You can open that tomb," Bree said.

"Where is this book?" Damon asked.

"I-I-" Bree stuttered.

"You have no idea," Damon said.

"No! I'm telling the truth! You can ask the Blake girl to come and hear me out, she'll know I'm telling the truth!" Bree said. I was shocked that she would mention me. Had she sensed that I was a witch as I had sensed it about her? Why was she telling Damon this?

"I don't need Steffy to check anything. I already believe you," Damon said. "My dear, sweet Bree," he cooed. "That's why I'm almost sorry." I heard Bree groan and I loud thud as she fell, probably dead. I heard water running and decided to step out. Damon looked up at me and I looked at him and then at the floor.

"I'll be in the car," I said quietly, walking off before he could say anything.

* * *

Halfway home, Elena had fallen asleep. Damon and I hadn't talked much and I knew he knew that I had heard him kill Bree. I however, didn't want to bring it up because I didn't want to ruin the nice, quiet moment we were having. I also wanted to show him that he could trust me and that I wouldn't go running as soon as someone died...

"So," I said after a while. "Why did you bring me with you?" I asked . "You could have just left me at my house or whatever."

Damon smirked. "Well, you're not the worst company in the world Steffy," he told me. "You should give yourself more credit."

"Seriously? What about Elena then?" He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"You two were there in the middle of the road, all damsel in distress-like," he argued.

"And...?" I pressed.

"And, I knew it would piss off Stefan," he finished. I grinned at him for some reason. "And, you're not the worst company in the world, Steph."

"Well, I used to be more fun..." I mumbled.

"You did okay," he told me. "Now I just need to get you to loosen up a bit more and then you'll be amazing." I smirked at him.

"Elena and I saved your life," I sing-songed.

"I know," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"And don't you forget it," I said, smiling back at him.

We stayed quiet for a while longer until he decided to speak. "Are you ever going to tell me how you managed the stop that vampire from killing me?" he asked and I looked out the window, up at the moon.

"When we get home," I promised. It was strange what happened next... My hand was resting on my seat when I felt a big hand cover it. I glanced at Damon, who was still looking at the road ahead. I smiled to myself, when I felt him squeeze my hand and this time, I didn't push him away.

* * *

"We're here," Damon said, pulling up by my house. We had dropped off Elena at the boarding house earlier and Damon had offered me a ride home as well.

I looked at the clock, realizing Caroline was probably home but that aunt Liz wouldn't be in at least a couple of hours. She always worked late these days. I stepped outside of the car, but stopped when Damon appeared in front of me. We just looked at each other for a while.

"Are you okay?" he asked and I bit my lip before nodding. Damon stepped forward. "What happened tonight?" I inhaled sharply and he looked at me concerned. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

I nodded once again, but my lips betrayed me by saying "no". I began shaking my head.

"No Damon, I'm not okay," I finally said. "You're a vampire. You're brother is a vampire too! One of my friends is a witch... And yesterday..." I trailed off. "Yesterday I found out that I was one too," I finished, but Damon for some reason didn't look surprised. "You asked me about the scars Damon," I said and lifted up my shirt slightly to show my stomach. Across it, were three claw marks. Damon's eyes widened for a moment. "I've been having nightmares about a creature hurting me and whenever I wake up, the cuts I receive in my dream appear in real life," I explained. "Bonnie's grandmother told me it had to do with my fear and that I needed to face my fear before the nightmares could go away."

"When did all of this start?" Damon asked.

"When I moved here," I answered. "After my mom died." Once again there was silence.

"Why are you telling me this?" Damon finally asked.

"Because on some strange deep level, I feel like I can trust you," I answered before I could stop myself. I looked away from him when I saw a smile tugging at his lips.

"What do you fear, Steffy?" Damon then asked and I looked back at him. He was watching me seriously and I inhaled again.

"I fear..." I trailed off. "I fear that I will be alone forever," I finally admitted. I realized this just now, as Damon was standing in front of me. "My dad died when I was just a baby and my mother was all I had while growing up," I told him. "When she died, I fell into a zombie-state, I think. I wasn't able to cry. I was just a shell without anything inside. I had no emotions at all."

I looked up in the sky after feeling a drop of rain fall onto my hand. I looked back at Damon, who was watching me intently. "When I moved to Mystic Falls, I didn't know my cousin very well and I didn't know my aunt that much either. I figured I would stay with them until I turned eighteen and then leave, but now they've become the only thing I have left," I said. "When I realized that you were hurting Caroline, I realized that there was no way that I could keep her safe, all I knew was that I had try because I was afraid to lose her, like I have lost my parents. She and my aunt are all I have left Damon," I said and wiped the raindrops off of my hands. "If I lose them, I'll be all alone and I wont be able to handle that." I looked up again, frustrated. "Oh God!" I exclaimed. "Why is it raining?" I asked and suddenly Damon stepped forward. He cupped my face and made me look at him.

"It's not raining Stephanie," he told me. "You're crying." I stared at him for a moment as he wiped away the raindrops- my _tears_ with his thumbs. I was crying? I felt a sob shake me.

"I-I can't do this alone Damon," I cried. "What if I do something that hurts my aunt or Caroline? What if I can't handle being a witch?" Damon didn't say anything as I walked into his arms and sobbed. He held me tightly against him and softly rubbed my back in a soothing motion. "I don't want to be alone Damon," I sobbed into his chest, desperately clinging onto his shirt. I had never felt such pain before. It was as if my world had been turned up-side-down and everything was wrong. It felt as if I was dying inside...

Until... Somewhere inside of me, I felt a warmth beginning to spread. I was still crying and I hadn't realized that Damon had picked me up in his arms and carried me to the house. I vaguely heard Caroline ask what was wrong with me when she opened the door, and I think I heard Damon compel her to go to bed and forget that he had been here. Damon carried me upstairs to my room and removed my cardigan as he laid me down on the bed. I felt his hand on my cheek and I put my hand over his, just like he had done to me when I had crouched next to him after the vampire had hurt him earlier tonight. I looked into his intense blue eyes and for a moment, something strange happened inside of me.

I felt alright again.

Something flashed in his eyes and he kept looking at me.

"You're not alone Steffy," he told me and put that loose curl behind my ear again, like he used to. I smiled weakly at him as he covered me with my blanket. As he walked towards to door, I reached for his hand.

"Please just stay until I fall asleep," I begged and he nodded, surprising me. He laid down on the bed next to me and I felt him wrap an arm protectively around my waist. Then I felt his thumb running across my hand and I realized something as I slowly drifted off to sleep...

I was enjoying being in his arms a bit too much...

* * *

_**A/N: So... What did you think?**_

_**Before you throw a virtual chair or something on me: I KNOW Damon was a bit out of character in this chapter! However, I just wanted to show that as much as something is pulling Steffy towards him...something is pulling him to her as well... If you didn't like him showing "emotions" or whatever like this, I'll stop with it, at least until season 2 when Damon becomes "softer" or whatever... I just figured it would be natural for Damon to react like that to Steffy crying in the end of the chapter. I mean, it's not like he's seen this side of her that has been locked up since her mother died...**_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked it and if you have any questions, feel free to ask (as I've said like 500 times already).**_

_**BTW, did you like suspicious Elena in this chapter? ;)**_

_**Please review and I'll love you so much that I'll update faster!**_

_**Lots of love!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


	13. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Hello again! I'm back with a very, very long chapter (12,334 words!)...**_

_**First of all I want to thank everyone who reviewed: SomebodyWhoCares, grapejuice101, Tvdlover87654, LuluMaxele, 1llu510n and the two anonymous reviewers "Guest" and "Shooshoo". I love all of you for taking time to write reviews! Thank you again.**_

_**Also, a thank you to all of you who put my story on favorite/alert! That means a lot too!**_

_**Anyway, so here is the new chapter! I really hope you'll enjoy it even though it's so long... I was actually thinking of dividing it into two parts, but I figured I'll post it like this and then you can tell me if you want me to divide the chapters if they ever get this long again. =)**_

_**For now: Enjoy the chapter and I'll get back to you in the last A/N! **_

* * *

Chapter 12: Unpleasantville

The sun woke me up in the morning. I stretched out on the bed and slowly opened my eyes as the sunrays warmed me. I hadn't slept this well in a while. I had only woken up once during the night and it hadn't been because of any nightmare. It had been because I had felt Damon leave my bed and walk out in the hallway. I had heard some mumbling voices then, but had gone back to sleep quickly after that.

I looked up at the ceiling again and then to my left side where Damon had been laying. It was strange really... How nice he had been to me last night; staying there when I was hurting. I certainly hadn't been expecting that from him. He was always so tough and _bad_ that I just assumed he would be like that all the time... I knew he could be nice too of course, but he just rarely shows that side of himself so it always takes me by surprise.

I got up out of the bed and checked my phone for the time. I was lucky I didn't have the first period this day because otherwise I would be running late. Slowly, I moved over to my closet and picked out something to wear. It was a really sunny day today, something that was rare here in Mystic Falls. I decided to put on a beige, oversized pullover and a pair of blue jeans. I paired it with some beige colored boots with golden studs, a couple of bracelets and a straw fedora with a bleated black band. My hair was naturally waved and I just combed through it, not bothering to put it up today.

As I was painting my nails, Caroline stepped into the room without knocking.

"Good morning Steffy," she said, a bright smile on her face.

I eyed her warily. "Why are you so cheery today?" I asked.

She kept smiling at me as she spoke. "So who was the lucky guy?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"'The lucky guy'" I repeated. "I have no idea. Why don't you tell me?" I asked and she grinned.

"Oh come on Steffy," she said. "There's no need to be delicate about it. It wasn't as if the two of you were quiet..." she told me. I watched her as if she had gone crazy.

"Caroline," I said. "I can honestly tell you that I have no idea what you're talking about," I told her and blew on my fingernails so the nail polish would dry faster.

"Steffy!" Caroline gasped. "Is it someone I know? I mean, you're denying it so it has to be!" I looked at her like she had gone crazy.

"Why don't you explain to me just what you think you heard?" I reached for my hat as I spoke, putting it on my head.

"Well," she began, "you and some guy were going at it last night. I heard you and it didn't stop until right before mom got home," she finished. I looked at her strangely.

"You probably had a dream Caroline," I said, still confused.

"No, it wasn't a dream Steffy," Caroline snapped. "I heard you two and then I heard him sneak out before mom got home."

"Maybe you heard wrong then because I can honestly say that no one was in my bed last night except for-" I stopped for a moment and another grin spread across Caroline's face.

"So there was someone!" she exclaimed.

"No!" I protested.

"Yes!"

"Caroline drop this already!" I said and laughed when she pouted at me. "I'm not saying anyone was in my bed last night, but if someone had been, it still wouldn't have been any of your business," I told her.

"Okay, fine. Whatever," Caroline huffed, crossing her arms as she sat down on the armchair in the corner of the room. "It's just that I was hoping at least you might have met someone."

"Why are you so hung up on setting me up with someone?" I asked her. "I don't even have time for a boyfriend in my life right now. There's been so much going on and I'm not ready for anything like that yet," I told her and she nodded.

"Okay, I'll stop," she said. "But that doesn't mean that you didn't sleep with someone last night, because I swear to God I heard you!" I looked at her sceptically. As she had spoken, she had been honest. I could tell because of the way she was looking at me. Why would she think I had slept with someone? Unless... Oh. My. God.

"Caroline," I said with a calm tone. "Could you please make me some coffee and I'll come downstairs as soon as I can? Then we'll talk about this. _Promise_," I told her, through a fake smile. She didn't seem to notice that it was fake and winked at me before walking out of the room. I walked over to the door and locked it before running to my phone and dialing the number.

"_Good morning Stephanie,_" Damon answered. His tone was so smug that I knew my assumption had been correct. "_Sleep well?_"

"Did you compel Caroline into thinking I slept with someone last night?" I asked bluntly. I nearly growled at him when he chuckled again.

"_It's not as if I lied,_" he defended. "_I mean, you did sleep in the same bed as someone... _Me," he purred into the phone.

"You're an ass Damon," I told him.

"_You love it,_" he accused.

"No, I certainly don't. Now I have Caroline breathing down my neck asking me who the 'lucky guy' was! It's not _funny_," I said angrily as he once again laughed.

"_Your reaction is priceless. How long did it take for you to figure it out?_" he asked.

"You. Are. An. Ass," I growled. "Compel her again and tell her that I didn't sleep with anyone!" I demanded. I couldn't believe he had done this! Here I was, thinking we might have become friends after everything that happened yesterday...

"_I don't have time to do that at the moment,_" he replied. "_I have other things to do._"

"Like what? Admiring yourself?" I asked sarcastically.

"_No Stephanie. I have you for that,_" he told me. "_I'm going back to my original, diabolical plan,_" he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you mean the one where you open the tomb and free Katherine and the other 26 vampires?" I asked. "Let me know how that works out for you," I said sarcastically. "The crystal was ruined and now you have to find the grimoarie of Emily Bennett, if I remember correctly." He stayed quiet for a moment. I'm sure he had forgotten all about how I witnessed him killing Bree last night. Maybe he had thought that I hadn't overheard their conversation?

"_Do you know anything about it?_" he asked. "_I mean, since we're pretty much sleeping together now and you're a witch too._"

"Damon," I said, putting a hand to my forehead. "I don't know anything about it and the two of us are certainly _not _sleeping together. It was just a moment of weakness. It wont happen again," I told him sternly.

"_Oh, you'll come running back soon enough,_" he told me. "_But for now, I have to go. I believe I heard my brother enter the house. Good bye Stephanie... And good luck with Caroline,_" he said. I could literally see the smirk on his face.

"Good bye," I said sternly and hung up.

What an ass.

* * *

Somehow I managed to get Caroline to stop asking who the "mystery guy" was and she drove me to school. I was lucky today, since my French lesson had been canceled because the teacher was sick or something. That meant I only had one period and then I was free to go home.

At the moment, I was joining Caroline and Elena who were sitting on a bench in the schoolyard. I had a short break right before class.

"Hey Steffy," Elena said as I sat down next to Caroline, opposite of her. "How are you feeling?" Elena asked. I knew she was thinking of the accident and everything that had happened last night.

"I'm fine," I told her. My arm wasn't hurting that much anymore even though it stung once in a while. "You?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "Considering..."

"Considering what?" I asked and she just shrugged.

"I'll tell you about it later. Would you two like to join me and Bonnie for lunch at the Grill?" she suggested, looking at Caroline as well.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Caroline answered. "I need to prepare for the 50's decade dance tomorrow night. Matt is helping me," she said, a small, barely noticeable blush spreading across her cheeks. I looked at Elena, waiting for her reaction.

"Caroline, I told you already," Elena said. "Whatever is going on between you and Matt... It's okay," she said.

"I was gonna talk to you about that," Caroline said. "I was, but there's just not much to say. We've hung out a couple of times and that's it..." Caroline trailed off for a moment. I smiled to myself, finding it very cute how she was trying to avoid talking about her feelings. "But... I just feel like we've peeked as friends," she said quickly. I looked at Elena, who was smiling at her softly. "This is weird," Caroline pointed out. "I shouldn't be talking to you about this. It's weird. It's weird, right?" Caroline asked, turning to me for confirmation. I shrugged at her.

"Certainly not weirder than having your cousin accuse you of sleeping with someone," I told her and she blushed. Elena looked at me strangely.

"What?" she asked and I shrugged.

"It's nothing really. I'll tell you later at lunch," I told her and stood up. "You two talk about this whole Matt-thing. And _you_," I said, turning to Caroline, "don't tell anyone what you assume until you have proof." She grinned at me.

"See you later Steph," she said. "Don't forget I already picked out your dress for the dance tomorrow, so you don't need to worry about that!" she called after me as I walked away. I turned around and grinned at her.

"I'm so lucky to have you as my personal stylist!" I called back. "See you at lunch Elena!" I waved and then hurried off to class.

In the hallway, however, I walked straight into Jeremy, knocking all of our books to the floor.

"I'm so sorry Jer," I said as I helped him pick up his history book.

"It's okay Steph," he said, grinning at me. "I haven't seen you in-"

"Forever?" I interrupted and he nodded.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry Jeremy," I said. "I've just been very busy and a lot of things have been happening recently. I promise we'll catch up over a game of Mario Kart," I said while grinning back at him. "I might even let you win."

He laughed sarcastically at my comment. "Like you'd have to let me win. I beat you last time and you know it," he said. "Changing the subject now: what exactly _have _you been up to?" he asked and I shrugged.

"School and some private stuff mostly," I admitted.

"Does that private stuff have to do with the 'Mystery guy'?" he asked and I stared at him.

"Who told you about—Caroline!" I exclaimed. "That nasty little-"

"Don't say something you'll regret," Jeremy warned me calmly and I let out a frustrated groan.

"Why did she have to tell _you_?" I whined.

"Well, technically, she didn't tell me," Jeremy told me. "She told Bonnie and I overheard it while walking to Mr. Saltzman's class," he explained. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Whatever," I said. "Just don't listen to Caroline. She doesn't know what she's talking about, okay?" He nodded, but an amused smile still covered his face. "Are you coming the the decade dance tomorrow night?" I asked and he nodded.

"I'll be serving punch," he told me. "Failing English you know. Have to do something to pass."

I laughed at that. "So you're sucking up then?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, a grin still on his face. "I'll see you at the dance then?" he asked and I nodded.

"Maybe I'll even kidnap you for a dance," I winked.

"Something tells me your Mystery Guy wouldn't like that." I smacked him on the shoulder and stuck out my tongue.

"I'll see you later," I said and ran off to class, leaving Jeremy, who was still laughing, behind me.

* * *

After class Caroline caught up with me, asking if I was helping her with the decorations for the dance. I told her I had already made plans with Elena and Bonnie, but that if she really needed me I could skip that. She reluctantly told me it was alright and then said that she would at least have Matt there to help her. When I asked her about him, she told me that she was still very confused about it and I simply told her that it would get better with time and that Matt is probably just shy.

As soon as I left Caroline at school and headed towards my car, Elena called.

"_Where are you?_" she asked.

"I'm almost there Elena," I told her and she told me to hurry up. I walked a bit faster to my car but told her that I just needed to stop by at a place before going to the Grill. She told me that she and Bonnie would wait for me, but that I should hurry up a little because they were starving.

I drove to the boarding house and parked outside before walking in without knocking. Why didn't they ever lock their doors?

"Damon?" I called out, but no answer came. "Hello-o?" I sing-songed. I looked around for a bit and walked over to the huge bookshelf. I frowned when I saw several books on the floor and picked one up. _Call of the Wild_...

"Hello Stephanie," Damon said from behind me and I jumped, dropping the book to the floor.

"You scared me," I pointed out and he smirked at me.

"What brings you here?" he asked, ignoring my statement completely. I frowned a bit, surprised by how cold his tone was. "Have you finally decided to give into the sexual tension that has been-"

"Damon, I came here to thank you," I interrupted. He looked at me strangely.

"For what?"

I looked at him for a moment, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. "Well, you were there for me last night..." I trailed off. "I know it's not your 'thing' or whatever, but I would like you to know that I really appreciated it," I said. "I don't really know what came over me, but I'm glad that it's all over."

"Don't mention it," he said. "Did you have any nightmares?" he then asked and I shook my head.

"No, not last night," I told him honestly. "And my arm is feeling better too. I guess it must have something to do with being a witch or whatever, but it doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday." He grabbed my arm and inspected it for a while.

"A witch doesn't have supernatural healing abilities Steffy," he told me and I shrugged.

"Then maybe I just managed to numb the pain?" I suggested. "Who cares anyway? It doesn't hurt, period," I said and he tilted his head sideways to look at me.

"Mhm..."

"I need to get going now, Elena and Bonnie are waiting for me at the Grill," I said. "Bye Damon." I began walking to the door but stopped before running back to him and punching him on his arm.

"What was that for?" he asked, clearly amused since it didn't have any affect on him because of his strength.

"For compelling Caroline into thinking I slept with someone!" I said and walked out of the house, after sticking out my tongue at him for laughing.

* * *

I walked into the Grill, only a few minutes later and both Elena and Bonnie turned to look at me.

"Where have you been?" Elena asked. "I have something very important to share."

"I was at the boarding house. I needed to say something to Damon," I told them honestly and they both frowned.

"Are you two, like, best friends now or whatever?" Bonnie asked and I shook my head.

"Far from it actually," I told her. "But he helped me with something and I just needed to thank him," I explained and she snorted.

"Damon helping someone? I'd love to see that," Bonnie said sceptically.

Elena shrugged. "I think he might have a soft spot for Steffy," she said and I couldn't help but glare at her.

"Are we back to you making assumptions about me and Damon?" I asked and she shrugged again.

"Well, it's a bit true isn't it? He's been obsessing with trying to get to you," she pointed out and I shook my head.

"No Elena," I said. "He's been obsessing with trying to find a way to get Katherine out of the tomb. That hasn't changed," I said sternly.

Bonnie put her hands up to stop us before Elena could start to protest again. "Maybe we should just enjoy dinner and talk about whatever the two of you were going to talk about?" she suggested and I looked at Elena before nodding.

"So Elena," I said. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked and she bit her lip.

"Last night I found out that I was adopted," she said and I stared at her.

"Really?" I asked, shocked. "Wait, does that mean that you and Jeremy aren't really siblings or is he adopted too?"

"No. He's not adopted, just me," Elena explained. She proceeded to tell me and Bonnie how Stefan had found out and the both of us listened intently on what she told us.

"I can't believe you're adopted," Bonnie said, taking a bite from her french fries.

"I never saw that coming," Elena said, looking at the both of us. "And it gets weirder. I looked at my birth certificate. It lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birthparents. None of it makes any sense," she said.

"Your dad was a doctor, wasn't he?" I asked and she nodded. "Well, maybe he took care of it?" I suggested and Elena simply shrugged.

"I don't know. As I said, it doesn't make any sense," she repeated and Bonnie nodded.

"Which is why you should ask Jenna," Bonnie said and Elena gave her a look. She was obviously at odds with her aunt since she found out about being adopted. "First of all, the Elena I know would always want the real truth, good or bad," Bonnie continued, but stopped to look at Elena.

"And second of all?" Elena pressed and I grinned.

"You just found out your boyfriend is a vampire," I pointed out. "So unless your birthparents are aliens, how bad could it be?" I asked and they both laughed. We ate quietly for a while. I glanced at Bonnie once in a while. Would she be mad at me if I told her I was a witch too? What if she didn't want her Grams to teach me like she taught her?

I cleared my throat. "Uhm, Bonnie," I began, still not sure if I should tell her. She looked at me, expecting me to continue, but I looked at Elena instead, looking for some kind of assurance from her. She nodded slowly, seeming to understand where this was going.

"Is something wrong Steph?" Bonnie asked and I looked back at her.

"I have something to tell you," I admitted. "But I'm not really sure how to do it."

"Why don't you just go ahead and say it? It worked for Elena right?" Bonnie suggested and I nodded and inhaled deeply.

"I'm a witch," I said and Bonnie stared at me with her mouth slightly hung open. Elena looked from Bonnie to me and then back to Bonnie while sipping her soda. Bonnie didn't say anything, she just looked at me. I looked over at Elena. "Well, this wasn't exactly the reaction I was expecting," I said, taking a sip from my drink.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Bonnie asked suddenly and I looked at her.

"Why would I joke about something like this?" I asked but she simply continued to stare at me.

"You're a _witch_?" Bonnie repeated in a hushed tone.

"Yes Bonnie," I told her. "I've been having nightmares since I arrived in Mystic Falls. Strange ones too," I explained. "I kept dreaming about a creature killing everyone I cared about, leaving me all alone before attacking me too. Every time I woke up, a scar appeared from my dream." Elena leaned closer to hear this part of the story. I told them everything; from my nightmares to Demetria's ghost or whatever, to Demetria's ghost and the grimoarie.

"So you're telling me that you're a witch but some special kind of witch?" Bonnie repeated and I nodded.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask your Grams," I told her. "She'll tell you the truth. It took some time for me to even believe it, but after everything I've done..." I thought back to pushing Damon away from Bonnie and then to holding Lexi's boyfriend back from killing Damon. "It's hard _not_ to believe it," I finished, looking at them both.

"I believe you Steffy," Bonnie said. "I didn't know what it was, but the moment I met you, it felt as if I had some sort of connection to you. It's because we're witches, we can sense each others presence, I guess." She smiled at me and put her hand over mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

I smiled back at her. "So you don't mind if your grandmother teaches me some things too?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"Of course not," she said. "Why would I? It will be great to have you by my side."

"That's great!" I laughed. "We can be witchy newbies together." She grinned at me and Elena laughed.

"It's great that you've settled things then," Elena said. "Does Caroline know?" she asked me and I shook my head.

"No, and I don't want her to either," I told them. "What happened at your place Bonnie really freaked her out and I don't think she would like anything to do with this. The less she knows about vampires and witches, the better." They both nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of vampires, Steffy," Elena began, "Stefan made a vervain necklace for Caroline and I gave it to her just this morning. We need to protect her from people who might use her..."

I looked at her for a moment. "And by that you mean Damon, am I right?"

"Look, I know that the two of you have a thing-"

"We don't have a _thing_," I interrupted. Elena looked at me sceptically. "We don't! He's just very forward and he likes annoying me for some reason. There is nothing there." _Except for maybe some trust._

"That's not the issue at the moment," Bonnie said. "The thing is that we all know that Damon has hurt people in the past. He isn't going to change Stephanie," she told me.

"How are we supposed to know that? I mean, doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?" I asked, not really sure why I was defending him. The look on Bonnie's and Elena's faces told me that they didn't understand it either. "I understand that he's bad, okay? It's just that... I've seen some good in him too." They still didn't look convinced. "Whatever, it doesn't even matter," I said dismissively. I didn't even understand why I was defending him anymore. It was true what they said. He had done some horrible things... He had both compelled and used Caroline, nearly killed Bonnie and well, he was kind of an insensitive ass sometimes too. "The most important thing right now is that the we'll have a blast at the dance tomorrow night," I said, deciding to change the subject. Elena looked at her watch.

"Speaking of the dance," she said. "I really need to go to the store. My outfit is seriously lacking accessories," she smiled. "Would you guys like to come with me?"

"I shook my head. "Sorry Elena, I have some things to take care of at home," I explained.

Bonnie's eyes suddenly lit up. "Are you bringing your mystery man to the dance?" she asked and I groaned.

"Not you too Bonnie," I said, covering my eyes with my hands. "Caroline's spreading false rumors," I told them and Bonnie frowned.

"So you didn't hook up with someone?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, not really," I said.

"But she said..." Elena trailed off.

"Look, I know what Caroline thought she heard, but believe me when I tell you there's no truth to it. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary last night. I just slept, in my bed," I finished.

"Alone?" Bonnie pressed and once I didn't reply, she began to laugh. "So you did 'sleep' with someone then? Who is he? Do we know him?" I glanced at Elena, who was looking at me suspiciously. I didn't want to tell them the truth that Damon had compelled Caroline once again. I mean, what was the point of making them angry? Elena had given Caroline a vervain necklace now anyway, so it wasn't as if he could compel her again. The look Elena was giving me at the moment however, told me that she suspected that the mystery guy was in fact Damon... She knew we had gotten home late and that I wouldn't have had time to meet up with an old friend or whatever...

"No, he's not important," I told Bonnie, although I looked at Elena, who reluctantly nodded.

"I need to get going," she told us, finally standing up. "I'll see you guys later, okay?" Both Bonnie and I nodded.

"I'll pay the bill," Bonnie said, standing up too as Elena left.

"Okay," I said and stood up too. "I'll come with you," I offered just as Damon walked into the Grill. He walked straight up to us and stood in front of Bonnie, who immediately took a defensive stand. "What do you want from me?" she asked, glaring at him.

Damon offered her a smirk. "I think we need a fresh start," he told her, but all she did was glare.

"You tried to _kill_ me," she pointed out.

"But I didn't," he defended, "and if I wanted to, I would have. Does that not count for anything?" he tried, but Bonnie wasn't backing down.

"You know, I can start fires with my mind. Fires kill vampires, right?" she asked, almost innocently. Damon's smirk turned into a frown. "Just stay _the hell _away from me," Bonnie said and tried walking away, but Damon grabbed her arm. I wanted to jump in, but suddenly the bartender walked over.

"Everything okay over here?" he asked. He looked pretty good. Tall, dark hair and brown eyes...

"Yeah, we're fine," Damon said, not even looking at the bartender. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't very happy.

"I wasn't talking to you," the bartender said, looking at Bonnie. Damon glared daggers at him and then looked at me before walking off. I turned to look at Bonnie.

"Bon, I'll see you later okay?" I said and hurried after Damon without waiting for her reply. I walked up next to him, but he just wouldn't stop walking.

"Hey!" I tried grabbing his arm, but suddenly he stopped walking and turned around to face me.

"What?" he asked, clearly annoyed. I shot him a look.

"What was that all about?" I asked, referring to what happened in the Grill.

"I was trying to be nice and apologize for almost killing your friend," he shrugged.

"But you're never nice," I said. "And when you are, you do something stupid to cover it up. Like compelling my cousin," I said and he grinned.

"Who cares? I'll just have to try again," he told me, once again talking about Bonnie.

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" I frowned. "I mean, what could she have that you-" I stopped, thinking about it. "Wait a minute," I said. "All you want from Bonnie is Emily Bennett's grimoarie! You think she might know where it is and you just want to use her!" I didn't know why I was so chocked by this. Damon was the kind of person who would use someone after all. He had done it to Caroline... But he had been so nice last night... "Why are you so intent on using people?" I asked and he looked at me strangely.

"If it isn't obvious, Stephanie?" Damon asked.

"No it isn't Damon," I retorted. "I mean, last night, you were really _nice_ or whatever and you comforted me when I needed a friend and no one else was there," I pointed out. I shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. The whole situation was making me feel very uneasy...

He stifled a laugh. "You're very welcome for that, but know that it will never happen again," he said, surprising me with the cold tone to his voice.

"Excuse me?" I asked and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Come on Steffy, it's not as if it's some mystery... You know I'm the _bad_ brother and I can't exactly ruin the image that has taken over a century to develop by _comforting_ you whenever you're sad," he told me. I glared at him. He had said 'comforting' with a hint of disgust. I looked into- no. I _glared _into his eyes for a moment and then figured out what he was doing. It was all written in his cold face. He couldn't however hide the true emotions that were in his eyes. He was desperately trying to hide the fact that he had been _soft _last night. That he had been there for me and comforted me when I was sad and when I broke down. If that was what he wanted, I would let him believe he had convinced me.

"So what you're saying is that you'll never be nice to me again?" I asked and he shrugged.

"As long as you don't stand in my way to find Katherine, I wont bother you," he told me.

"So all you care about is finding Katherine?" I asked, a strange feeling in my gut again.

"Yes."

"Fine," I said. "You don't have to comfort me ever again because I _don't _need _you_," I told him sternly. "And you are never allowed to enter my room again without my permission!" He grinned at that.

"You permission, huh?" he asked, his voice suddenly low. He traced a finger across my cheek. "I hardly think it will take a lot to convince you to give me your permission," he purred. I jerked away from him and glared.

"Screw you Damon," I told him and he laughed.

"Speaking of screwing—What did Caroline have to say about 'Mystery man'?" he mocked and I smacked him on the shoulder.

"You are such a jerk and I can't believe I ever thought we could be friends after everything that happened in Atlanta! I'm leaving," I told him, turning around and walking off. I could feel anger boiling inside of me and all I could think of was that horrible feeling in my gut. I was glad that he didn't try to stop me, but the uneasy feeling didn't really have anything to do with Damon. There was someone watching me, and I already knew it wasn't Damon Salvatore, because I had heard him run off the moment I had turned my back to him.

* * *

I walked over to my closet and took out the grimoarie I had hidden in there. In my anger I had walked straight home, not bothering to answer the call from Bonnie that I had received the moment I left the Grill. After locking my door, I sat down on my bed and opened the grimoarie with my necklace. One again, the pages were blank. I stared intently at the pages, thinking about fire spells and blocking spells. Soon, letters began appearing on the pages along with a few drawings. I grinned to myself when I saw that it was working, just like it had done at Bonnie's grandmother's house. I had to get used to this. Bonnie's remark to Damon at the Grill about putting things on fire with her mind made me realize that I had absolutely no idea whatsoever on how to protect myself. From what I had learned in the last couple of days, vampires weren't exactly rare and I needed to know these things if I was going to be able to survive in this world.

I sat in my room for hours, reading in the grimoarie and taking notes in a notebook. It felt as if I was in school, but this time the things I was learning seemed to be way more important. I hid the grimoarie under my bed and walked downstairs to find a candle. Caroline still hadn't come home. I assumed she had a lot of things to work on with the decade dance and all, but I was glad I had the house to myself so I could practice without being disturbed.

I got back to my room and locked the door again and then put the candle in the middle of the floor. I sat down in front of it and crossed my legs, pulled out my notebook and checked the spell again. Then I closed my eyes... _Ignis_. I could feel the familiar warmth run through me... I opened one eye and looked at the candle, which was now lit in front of me. I couldn't help the smile that made it's way across my lips. I closed my eyes again: _exstinguo_. Once I opened my eyes, the flame had been put out. I clapped my hands together excitedly. I couldn't believe I had just done something magical! I had to call Bonnie and tell her.

I quickly phoned her and soon she picked up, asking if something was wrong and why I hadn't answered her calls.

"Everything is fine Bon," I told her. "I just lit a candle and put it out! With magic! Isn't that amazing!" I said excitedly and she laughed.

"_Yeah, it is,_" she agreed. "_Did you read it in your ancestors grimoarie?_"

"Yeah, I did. I've been reading in it ever since I got home. It's really cool all of it," I admitted.

"_Yeah, well, Grams says that magic isn't something to play around with,_" Bonnie said, suddenly seriously. "_Maybe you could stop by tomorrow morning and we could go through some things together with her?_" she suggested and I bit my lip.

"You sure? I wouldn't like to intrude..."

"_Don't worry about it, she was the one who suggested it actually_," Bonnie admitted.

"In that case, I'll be there around noon," I told her.

"_Maybe a bit earlier? How about six in the morning? Before school and all?_" I groaned.

"You expect me to wake up at sic o'clock in the morning to learn magic?" I asked and Bonnie laughed.

"_You can get up at four and run ten miles before school but you can't wake up at six to learn some magic?_" she asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I had sleeping problems back then, remember?"

"_Come on Steph, it'll be fun. Just tell your aunt that you went to the school gym or something and text her once in a while and everything will be fine,_" Bonnie said.

"Okay, sure. I'll swing by at six tomorrow morning," I told her. "I need to get to bed now though. Feeling awfully tired," I said.

"_Okay, see you tomorrow Steph,_" Bonnie said.

"Bye."

"_Bye_." I hung up and put my phone on the nightstand and then walked over to my closet to hide the grimoarie again. Just as I was about to brush my teeth, my phone vibrated, notifying me of a text.

It was from Elena: "_The vampire that I hit with my car has been calling me. Don't worry about it, Stefan will handle it._" It felt almost as if a stone had dropped into my stomach.

"**What do you mean he'll handle it?" **I wrote back.

A few seconds later the reply came. "_He'll make sure he wont hurt us. The vampire has been making threats but we'll keep on living as if nothing is wrong. Stefan says that the more we react, the more the vampire will enjoy it._" I read through the text twice. Instead of texting back, I decided to call her up.

"What do you mean he 'wont hurt us?'" I asked as soon as she answered.

"_He was asking about you too Steph. It was really creepy,_" she stated and I rolled my eyes. Of course it would be creepy to have some sick vampire that you hit with your car follow you around...

Wait a minute...

"Elena, I think that vampire was followed me today when I left the Grill," I told her.

"_What do you mean?_" she asked and I sighed.

"Is Stefan there?" I asked and heard him Elena mumble something before handing Stefan the phone. "Stefan, all the way home today I felt as if I was being followed. I had an awful feeling in my gut and I just knew that it was someone who wanted something from me," I explained.

"_You don't think it was Damon, do you?_" Stefan asked and I let out a dry laugh.

"Damon and I aren't exactly talking for the moment and no, I'm certain it wasn't him. I would have known because I can sense when it's someone I know, but today all I felt was cold chills," I said.

"_Damon told me about your discovery,_" Stefan said. "_With you being a Blake witch and all I understand that you can tell the difference,_" he told me. "_I'll fill Damon in on the situation and you don't have to worry about it. Just don't talk to strangers and don't invite anyone you don't know into the house. Caroline has a vervain necklace now so she can't be compelled either, which makes you even safer there. I'll do all I can to find him and get rid of him,_" Stefan promised.

"At least now I can protect myself. I learned some spells from the grimoarie today," I told him. "Not anything too fancy, just some simple 'make-things-levitate'- and 'set-things-on-fire'-spells. Tomorrow I'll be visiting Bonnie's grandmother and she'll hopefully teach me more then," I said and yawned. "Look Stefan, I'm really tired right now. I trust you and Damon, even though he's an ass," I told him and he chuckled.

"_Yeah... I'm glad you trust me,_" Stefan said, not mentioning Damon. Maybe _he_ didn't trust him... I knew that I probably shouldn't either, but once again, there was just something about him.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't forget to get your dancing shoes out for the dance," I said and Stefan groaned.

"_Elena's making me go,_" he said and I could hear Elena's laugh on the other side as he probably pouted at her.

"And Caroline is making me go because my aunt wont let her go anywhere anymore without my supervision," I said. "But we can be miserable together, or at least try to make the best of it," I grinned.

"_Then we'll see you tomorrow_," Stefan said and I agreed, before finally hanging up and going to bed.

* * *

The next morning I got up at five and prepared myself for my visit at Sheila's. I pulled on a simple white t-shirt, a pair of faded blue jeans and my leather jacket over that. I put the grimoarie in my schoolbag and wrote a note to Liz, saying that I had gone to the school gym.

When I arrived, Bonnie opened the door, smiling brightly at me as she let me in. Sheila was waiting in the living room, drinking a cup of herbal tea. As I walked in, she stood up and embraced me tightly before asking me how my "confession" had gone. I told her the truth, that I hadn't had a nightmare since I confessed my fear and that my powers seemed to come naturally, just like she had said they would. We sat there for about ten minutes, just talking and I showed her what I had learned from my ancestors grimoarie.

"I'm impressed Steffy," Sheila said. "You learned all that by yourself. That's a big step for you," she told me and I nodded.

"I was just wondering, what kind of a language is all this?" I asked and Sheila shrugged.

"Witches have their own language really, but Blake witches have usually been known to use latin words for their spells. However, most of the time, witches don't even speak the spell, but rather think of the result they want. Bonnie has already learned how to do that. I'm suspecting that you think of the spell before anything happens, am I right?" Sheila asked and I nodded.

"So, you're telling me I just need to kind of think about what I want and it will happen?" I asked to clarify and she nodded.

"Most of the time yes. With simpler spells, such as lighting a candle or making things levitate, you don't really need a spell. However, when performing other, more difficult kinds of magic, you'll need a chant," Sheila explained.

"Should I be taking notes?" I asked, already feeling how the information was spinning around in my head.

"No dear, you'll remember it," Sheila said.

"And even if you don't, there wont exactly be a test on it," Bonnie told me reassuringly. I couldn't help but sigh. This wasn't how I wanted to start my mornings.

We inspected my ancestors grimoarie for almost an hour before Bonnie and I had to leave for school. Bonnie had been really fascinated with the book because she had never seen a book quite like it before.

"Why can't you just ask the book to show you everything that is written in it so that you don't have to ask all the time?" Bonnie asked while she drove the car. "I mean, what if you don't know what you're looking for? Wouldn't that make things complicated?"

"I think my ancestors spelled the book because of that. According to your Grams they were protectors of magic and felt the need to hide all the deepest and darkest secrets of it in the book," I explained. "Maybe that's why I need to ask for the information. I need to know what I'm looking for and how to use the grimoarie before getting answers." It somehow did make sense. "Magic isn't supposed to be easy Bon," I told her and she nodded.

"That's what my Grams says too," she told me. "Sometimes, I just wish we didn't have to know about it all. Vampires, witches, ghosts and God knows what else!" she said and I nodded.

"But it's better knowing and being able to protect the people we care about," I said, immediately thinking of my aunt and Caroline.

"I guess you're right," Bonnie agreed, just as we arrived at school.

* * *

-Deffy-

Before I knew it, school was over and I went home to prepare myself for the dance that was this evening. Caroline had sent me home and told me that I needed to check her checklist for the dance three times before she got home and that I needed to be ready to fix her hair once she came over around six. The dance would begin around nine and Elena had told me that Jenna would be there chaperoning because Mr. Saltzman had asked her to.

I took a quick shower and blow dried my hair so that I could slowly get ready for the dance. Caroline had picked out a typical blue 50's dress with white polka dots and a red belt around the waist. She had combined it with a pair of red shoes, that also belonged to the specific decade and most of the accessories were polka dotted as well. I, however, decided to leave my necklace on because I knew that I shouldn't be taking it off. Over the last couple of days it had become a part of me and I couldn't just take it off anymore.

As I was waiting for Caroline to arrive, I did as she had told me and checked if everything was in order for tonight. When she arrived, she complained about always saying the wrong things to Matt and how they were "never going to happen". It took almost thirty minutes for me to calm her down and reassure her that Matt would come around eventually. I then proceeded to help her with her hair. It took us two hours to prepare Caroline for the dance and I just decided to go with a high pony tail and a blue, white dotted bow instead of making it all extravagant like Caroline was. When we decided to leave for the party, Caroline told me that she would be picking up Bonnie first. I told her that I would meet her at the party and that I was going to pick up Elena and Stefan for the dance.

When I arrived at Elena's house, I was surprised to find Damon answering the door.

"You look..." Damon trailed off as he inspected my outfit. A grin spread across his face. "_Delicious._"

I scoffed at him. "What are you doing here?" I stepped inside and saw a pale looking Elena sitting on the couch with Stefan next to her.

"What happened here?" I asked, looking around at their broody faces.

"The vampire attacked me," Elena said. "Jeremy invited him inside today by accident. He was dressed as a pizza delivery guy," she explained and I stared at her.

"What can we do about it?" I asked, looking at Stefan and Damon. "Is there anything _I _can do to help?"

"No Steffy," Stefan said. "Damon and I will take care of him," he told me. Damon looked at Stefan and Stefan looked back at him seriously. "He's been invited in, Damon," he said sternly and Damon nodded.

"Then we'll take care of him tonight," he said. I looked at Damon, who for some reason was trying not to look at me.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked and Damon finally looked at me.

"Elena will go to the dance together with her boyfriend and you'll go with me," he said. "The vampire is probably going to be at the dance since he's obsessing over tormenting Elena and apparently want something from you too," he told me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm going with _you_ to the decade dance?" I asked and he nodded. I let out a laugh. "No way. No chance. I'll be going by myself so I can for once enjoy myself with my friends and you can come, but more as a chaperone or something," I told Damon. "I don't need someone to babysit me, especially not _you_," I said. Something flashed in his eyes as I spoke those words.

"Fine, we'll do it your way tonight," he said and I shot him a glare.

"It wasn't my idea to pick a fight with you Damon. You started it with me," I told him and Stefan and Elena looked at me confused. "It doesn't matter anyway. The vampire hasn't approached me in any way, except for _maybe_ following me home yesterday. It doesn't make any sense for him to ask Elena about me," I said.

Damon looked at me strangely. "Sometimes vampires do things just because it's fun. It doesn't have to mean anything," he told me. I didn't have a response to that, which was good, because Elena then told us we had to get to the dance. As I walked past Damon, I could still feel his intent stare on my back. I didn't want to deal with vampires tonight. All I wanted, was to have fun.

* * *

When we got there people were already dancing. I bit my lip, looking through the crowd, trying to see if I would sense the other vampire's presence, but found nothing. Maybe he wasn't here? I began walking forward when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Damon looking at me intently.

"Stefan is with Elena and you'll be staying with me," he told me over the music and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

"I thought we were fighting," I said coldly.

"That makes this whole situation even more interesting," he insisted. I nodded curtly before spotting Caroline and Bonnie talking to Elena by a small table.

"I'm going to be over there by Caroline," I told him. "I can protect myself Damon," I said and he shook his head.

"It's not safe," he said.

"Why do you care anyway?" I snapped. "I'm here to have a good time, now let me talk to my cousin," I said. "I _can_ protect myself," I repeated and this time he let go of my arm and raised his hands in surrender.

"Whatever you say, Stephanie," he said. We looked each other in the eyes for a moment before I finally walked off to Caroline, Bonnie and Elena.

"Having fun?" I asked them when I arrived and Caroline grinned.

"Nope, but you know how long this took, so I'm at least going to stay half of that time," she told me and I grinned back.

"What is Damon doing here?" Bonnie asked, looking past me. I looked at Elena.

"He wanted to come," she said simply. "I promise he'll behave." Damon behaving? yeah, right.

"Are the two of you a couple now Steffy?" Caroline asked. "I saw the two of you walking in together and you looked pretty comfortable with him close to you." I noticed a bit of jealousy in Caroline's tone.

"No Caroline. Damon and I are not together," I said. "I'm friends with Stefan and he's Elena's boyfriend. That means I need to at least tolerate him," I told her. "It's not as if I can kill him." Bonnie was still looking past me as she watched Damon.

"There's a thought," she said.

"I'll help," Caroline added as they clinked their glasses together. Both Elena and I looked at each other before laughing. This was certainly going to be an interesting night.

* * *

Bonnie, Caroline and I were enjoying each others company. Elena had walked off to find Stefan while we had stayed behind.

"We really need to get boyfriends," Caroline stated.

"From what I hear, you and Matt are pretty close," I said and she shook her head.

"No, I told you already that it's complicated," she said.

"Life is complicated Caroline," I told her. "Now we can either live with that or sit around and mope all day long."

Bonnie laughed. "What has gotten into you? You have changed so much these last couple of days," she said.

I shrugged. "Maybe I've just found myself?" I suggested, hoping she would catch on, which she did.

"Anyway," Caroline said, seeming to sense that she wasn't a part of the conversation anymore. "Bonnie has a crush on the bartender at the Grill," she told me and Bonnie gaped at her.

"I do not!" she exclaimed.

"Of come on, if you could, you would build up the guts to take a bite out of the Ben McKittrick cake," Caroline said and I had to laugh at that.

"Caroline," Bonnie said, sounding both amused and embarrassed. We laughed again. Suddenly Bonnie's expression became cold. "Oh look who's coming over," she said and I didn't even have to turn around.

"Hi Bonnie," Damon said, making his way through the crowd. "Wanna dance?"

"I'm out of here," Bonnie scoffed.

"Please give me another chance," Damon said, but Caroline stepped in the way.

"Back off Damon," she said and walked after Bonnie. I stayed there, watching Damon amused. Stefan and Elena walked up to us.

"Where did they go?" Elena asked and I let out a low chuckle.

"Damon chased them off," I told her and she looked at me confused.

"What did you say to them?" Stefan asked, taking a step closer to Damon.

"I was perfectly polite," Damon said innocently. He looked at Elena then. "Would you like to dance Elena?" he asked, offering her his arm. I raised my eyebrows, looking at Elena, who smiled.

"I would love to," she said, surprising me. She turned to Stefan. "May I have this dance?" she asked him and I once again laughed. Stefan offered her his arm, smiling brightly at her and she took it, sending a smirk Damon's way before walking off with her boyfriend. Damon glared at me when I laughed, but suddenly his glare turned into a smirk.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No thank you," I told him. "I don't particularly enjoy being someone's last choice," I said and walked off, leaving him standing dumfounded behind me.

I walked over to the punchbowl where Jeremy was standing.

"Hey," I said and he greeted me with a smile.

"You made it," he said and I nodded.

"There's no way I could steal you away for a dance?" I asked and he laughed, shaking his head lightly.

"Sorry but no," he said. "My English teacher has been watching me like a hawk all night. They still don't believe I have changed," he explained and I shrugged.

"Then maybe I'll just stalk you here all night and keep you company?" I suggested, once again making him laugh.

"It's okay Steph," he told me. "A girl I met at the library has been doing that all night long," he said.

"Stalking you?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I think she's really just trying to be nice or something," he said. "She doesn't go to school here but she still keeps helping me out. She seems nice, even though she's kind of pushy," he admitted.

"Sounds like someone has a little crush going on," I teased and he looked down, still smiling.

"Or maybe I'm just being nice," he said.

I was about to reply, but felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and looked into a pair of brown eyes.

"Emmett?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

He grinned at me. "I'm actually chaperoning," he told me. "My younger brother goes to school here and he has a record of misbehaving, so my mom forced me," he explained. "If I would have known you would be here, I would have volunteered myself from the beginning." I could feel a blush creeping up on my cheeks as I took in his outfit. He was wearing a black varsity jacket with a black t-shirt underneath and a pair of dark jeans. His sandy blonde hair was done in a very James Dean-ish look. It suited him.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, offering me his arm. I looked over at Jeremy, who was grinning at me.

"Sure, I'll meet you on the dance floor, I just need to say good bye to my friend," I said to Emmett and he nodded, walking away. I turned to Jeremy, who was still grinning like a fool. "What?" I asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"Is Emmett Hamilton your Mystery guy?" he asked and I glared at him.

"No, he's not," I said. "And I've told you that there isn't a Mystery guy." I looked at him angrily, but then smiled instead. "I'll see you around," I said, walking off, joining Emmett on the dance floor. He spun me around and pulled me close to him as we danced together.

"You look really nice," he told me and I couldn't help but grin like a fool.

"You're not too bad yourself," I said and he grinned back at me. "Where have you been lately? I've been at the Grill and I haven't seen you around town," I explained and his grin slowly faded away.

"I was on house arrest," he said. "That night that we met at the Grill, I was arrested for serving minors, which I certainly did not do," he told me. "Someone falsely accused me when it was all actually my co-worker that night. It took me a while to convince Sheriff Forbes that it wasn't me and afterward my mom didn't want to let me out of the house without supervision," he explained.

I felt anger boiling inside of me. Damon had falsely accused Emmett!

"Well, I'm glad you're here now at least," I said. "Maybe you'll make this dance a bit more tolerable." He grinned at me again and we kept dancing.

Just as a slow song was about to start, someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned around to look at Damon, who was wearing an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hello," he said to Emmett, not even looking at me. His voice was cold as stone. "Do you mind if I cut in?" he asked, but it clearly wasn't a question. Emmett looked at me and I slowly nodded.

"Sure," he said, letting go of me. "I'll see you around Steffy," he told me and I nodded. Damon continued to glare at Emmett, who walked away and disappeared into the crowd. He then walked up to me and put his hands on my waist, forcing me to wrap my arms around his neck.

"What now?" I asked, sensing his glare.

"Why were you dancing with that douche?" he asked and I frowned at him.

"Emmett isn't a douche," I told him. "He has been nothing but nice to me," I said.

"Well, he was looking at you like you were a piece of meat," Damon told me.

"You mean like you do sometimes?" I asked and Damon's intense eyes hardened a bit.

"I'm allowed to look at you like that," he said, his tone low as we danced slowly.

"What gave you that idea?" I asked him. "You're nice one minute and awful the other. I told you once that we could be friends, but if you're going to keep being bipolar, I wont be able to be your friend," I told him. "That also means that you can't keep compelling people to get what you want and you can't boss me around either."

A small smirk spread across his face. "What if I enjoy being in control?" he asked and I glared at him.

"Well, you can't control me," I stated. "And you obviously hate that."

"I'm not going to deny that," he told me honestly, as he spun me around and then pulled me close to his chest. We stood still for a moment, just looking into each others eyes. I could feel his breath on my lips. He blinked once, twice and then began swaying us back and forth slowly. What had that been?

"Have you seen the vampire yet?" I asked him, deciding to change the subject.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. "Have you sensed him yet?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No, I haven't," I said.

"Well, if you hadn't been busy dancing with that minor serving douche, maybe you would have," he told me and I once again glared at him.

"I'm trying to have a civil conversation with you, and yet you keep pulling Emmett into the conversation," I told him. "Are you jealous Damon?" I asked, a smirk now on my face.

"What?" he asked. "Why would I be jealous?" he scoffed.

"Then why do you keep acting like this?" I asked.

"Like what?"

"Like a jealous boyfriend?" We stopped dancing. My arms dropped from his neck, but he kept his hands on my waist.

"Elena and Stefan are watching us," he told me in a whisper, changing the subject as he once again put my hands around his neck.

"So?" I asked, just as if hit me. "You're doing this not only to annoy me, but also to mess with them," I accused and he shrugged.

"You are probably the strangest man I've even met," I told him. "Nothing you do or say makes any sense to me."

"And yet you keep being pulled towards me," he stated. I wasn't going to deny it. A faster song came on and I pulled away from his grip.

"Leave me alone," I said, not knowing what else to say. "I know your type Damon. All you want for the moment is to get Katherine back and I'm just a distraction. As soon as you have her, you'll leave town and never come back." _And I wont be able to handle that,_ I admitted to myself. "Don't forget we're fighting at the moment. Don't mistake me agreeing to dance with you for anything that it isn't. I'm still mad at you," I told him and walked off to meet with Elena, who was standing by the punchbowl again.

"Hi," I said and she smiled.

"I saw you dancing with Emmett Hamilton," she stated. "Before Damon interrupted you two, of course," she added and I shrugged.

"So?"

"I thought you and Damon were fighting," she stated and I nodded.

"We are, but he is acting strange for some reason, almost as if we aren't," I said.

"Are the two of you friends?" Elena asked and I once again shrugged.

"I thought we were, after what happened in Georgia and all," I said and Elena put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Even though he can be an ass, I'm sure he'll come around eventually and apologize to you," she told me and I shrugged.

"I don't even care anymore," I said. "Have you and Stefan seen the vampire yet?" I asked and she shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid not."

I sighed. "Well, if you do, tell me. I'm going to find Emmett again, maybe he'll still want to dance even though Damon was a jerk," I said and Elena nodded.

* * *

I couldn't find Emmett anywhere, so instead I hung out with Jeremy by the punch again. I was watching Elena and Stefan dance while Damon had grabbed a blonde girl and started dancing with her. At the moment they were doing a tango, and I felt something strange inside of me as I watched the two of them.

"Steffy?" I turned around to see Mr. Saltzman looking at me.

"Mr. Saltzman," I said, smiling at him. "Is everything okay?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, I was just checking up on you. You seemed a bit distraught," he said and I shrugged.

"If anything, I'm bored," I told him. "I think I'll leave soon anyway, but I'll see you around," I told him.

"Just-" He stopped me from walking away from him by grabbing my arm. "Be careful," he said, his tone strange and mysterious. I looked at his hand that was still on my arm and felt something strange. He was hiding something.

"I will be," I told him and he let go of me. I gave him one last glance before walking off to Elena, who was now standing alone, searching the crowd for someone.

"Is something wrong Elena?" I asked and she jumped.

"Steffy," she gasped. "You scared me." I looked at her strangely.

"What's going on?" I asked and she looked around again.

"I saw the vampire," she told me. "Stefan has gone after him and I need to find Damon." I felt cold chills run through me as Elena's phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and went pale.

"Who is it Elena?" I asked but she was busy talking to the person on the phone.

"Don't you dare touch him," she said, looking over by the punch where Jeremy was. I followed her gaze and saw a young, unknown man standing a couple of meters behind Jeremy. He was talking on the phone, a smirk on his face.

"We need to run," Elena told me and ran to a door. I ran after her as fast as my heels allowed me.

"He's coming after us?" I asked and she nodded while we ran. I found myself throwing off my shoes and running quickly after Elena. I heard foot steps behind us and I turned to see the vampire following us. I held my hand out. All the lockers opened at once and papers flew out from everywhere. I had to try to stop him someway, at least so that Elena could get away. We ran into the cafeteria and suddenly the vampire was closing in on us.

"What do you want from us?" I yelled at him and his eyes flickered over to me. He looked at me puzzled for only a moment, before attacking Elena. I ran up to him and pulled him away from her and he pushed me back. I hit the table and he turned around to look at me. "Leave her alone!" I yelled, just as Elena pushed a pencil into his hand. She looked at me, before pushing yet another one into him before pushing him away. He groaned in pain and she ran over to a mop and broke it in two. He growled at her as he removed the pencils. Elena ran over to me and I stood up. The vampire advanced at us and managed to knock the stake out of Elena's hand. Before he could grab her, I pushed her out of the way and stood in front of her. He grabbed me instead and lowered his head to my neck. I closed my eyes shut, expecting the pain, but it never came because someone pushed him away from me.

"Hey dickhead," I heard Damon say and I opened up my eyes. I had never been so happy to see him. "Nobody wants to kill you, we just want to talk," Damon continued. I looked over at Elena, who was still on the floor after I had pushed her away from the vampire. Stefan was by her side, checking her to make sure she was alright.

The vampire growled and tried to run, but Damon threw the stake to Stefan, who pushed it into the vampire's stomach. "Now you feel like talking?" Stefan asked. I stared at them as I walked over to Elena, helping her up. We held onto each other, staring at the vampire before us.

"Screw you," he said to Stefan, who only pushed the stake deeper into his stomach. Elena jumped and buried her head in my shoulder, not wanting to watch the torture. I kept looking. I had to see it.

"Wrong answer," Stefan said. "Why are you doing this?"

The vampire let out a grunt. "Because it's fun," he said.

"What do you want with Elena and Steffy?" Stefan asked. Elena looked up again, but kept holding onto me.

"She looks like Katherine," the vampire said. "And the other one is a Blake witch."

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked and I tried to keep myself from glaring at him. Everything was always about Katherine...

"You thought you were the only ones?" the vampire asked. "You don't even remember me."

"Tell me how to get into the tomb," Damon demanded, stepping forward.

"No," the vampire bit out. Stefan drove the stake in deeper. "The grimoarie," the vampire gasped.

"Where is it?" Damon asked again.

"Check the journal," the vampire replied. "The journal. Jonathan Gilbert's."

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked.

"Who else is there?" Damon said.

"No," the vampire shook his head. "You're gonna have to kill me." I looked at Damon and Stefan. Damon looked at Stefan and Stefan took out the stake from the vampire's stomach before driving it through his heart. Elena once again jumped as the vampire let out a gasp and turned grey.

"What do we—how are you going to find the other now?" Elena asked.

"He had to die," Damon said, looking at me.

"But..." I began, but Stefan stopped me.

"He had been invited in, Steffy. We didn't have a choice," he told me and I nodded curtly. Suddenly we heard footsteps approaching. Stefan turned to Damon. "Go. I got this," he said and Damon sped out in the hallway. I looked over at Stefan and Elena, who were now hugging.

"I have to go," I told them. "I need to get home. Will you be able to take care of all of this or do you need my help?" I asked and Stefan let go of Elena, stepping forward, hugging me as well.

"Thank you Steffy," he said. I hugged him back.

"You're welcome," I told him. I knew he was talking about protecting Elena. "I just wish I would have found out what that vampire wanted from me. He said it was because I was a Blake witch, but I can't help but wonder what he meant by that," I said and he nodded.

"We'll find out," he told me and I nodded.

"But for now, I just need to get home and take a shower," I said, turning to Elena. "If you find my shoes somewhere in the hallway, please take them home and I'll get them some other day," I said and she nodded.

"Thank you for protecting me Steffy," Elena said and I nodded.

"It's okay. You're my friend. I would do anything for you," I said and smiled at them briefly before walking off. I didn't see Damon anywhere when I got out of the cafeteria. I had wanted to say good bye to him too, but figured it would be better if I got home.

I walked out through the back door and walked home barefoot.

* * *

I got out of the shower and put on my PJ's, a pair of black shorts and a black tank top. I towel dried my hair and walked out of the bathroom, stopping when I saw Damon sitting by my window which was open.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as he looked at me. I kept drying my hair with the towel as I looked at him.

"How are you doing?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Adrenaline still rushing through me, I guess," I told him and he nodded. "What are you doing here Damon? I thought you said you would never set foot in this room again," I said and a small smile spread across his lips.

"I guess I just couldn't help myself," he said, stepping forward. "I have to admit that I'm glad I came here, otherwise I wouldn't have seen you in these incredibly short shorts." I threw the wet towel over a chair and looked at him strangely.

"Why are you here, Damon?" I asked again and he let out a sigh.

"Stefan made a deal with me," he admitted. "He is going to help me open the tomb and get Katherine out. Then I'll leave town and he'll kill the other 26 vampires," he explained and I stared at him.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, shocked that Stefan would ever agree to such a thing.

"Because I thought about what you said at the dance today," he told me. "You said you had wanted to be my friend and I'm here to offer a truce and ask you if the offer still stands."

"You do know that friendship and trust works both ways right? If I agree to be your friend, you'll have to be mine as well and you can't go around compelling the people I care about," I told him and he nodded.

"I get that," he said. We stayed quiet for a while. "So? What do you say?" he asked. "Truce?"

I hesitated for a moment but finally nodded. "I'll help you get Katherine out of the tomb," I told him. "If that is what will make you happy."

A grin spread across his face. "And I'll tell Caroline that there isn't a Mystery man," he said and I let out a laugh.

"You don't have to," I told him. "She promised she wouldn't talk about it anymore. Besides, Elena will probably tell her that she saw me dancing with Emmett tonight, so she'll just assume that it was him and leave me alone," I explained and something unknown flashed in Damon's eyes as he took up a serious look again. "Don't think any deeper into it," I told him. "As I said, I'll help you with Katherine and we can be friends...or something..." He nodded again as I walked over to my bed and laid down under the covers.

"Good night Damon," I told him. "Please close the window on your way out."

I closed my eyes and heard the window close. I kept my eyes closed as I felt him trail a finger across my jaw. "Good night Stephanie," he whispered and removed his hand from my cheek. I snapped my eyes open and saw that he had left the room, probably through the door. I bit my lip again. I had agreed to help him with Katherine and we were now officially on good terms with each other... But why did it feel as if I had ripped my own heart in two pieces?

* * *

_**A/N: Sooooooo? what did you think? =)**_

**_I really hope you liked it even though it was so long! Now please tell me, do you think I should divide longer chapters like this into two chapters or just post them like they are?_**

**_Also, were there any grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes?_**

**_What did you think in general?_**

**_Also, as you may know I have created a polyvore account and I decided to create sets on some of Steffy's outfits._**

**_Steffy's look in the beginning of the chapter: www. polyvore cgi/set?id= 72533701 (remove spaces!)_**

**_Steffy's look for the decade dance: www. polyvore cgi/set?id= 72533453 (Don't forget to remove the spaces!)_**

**_If you have time, check in on them and like them =) Also, follow me on twitter for any news regarding the next chapter! (you can find it on my profile)._**

**_Once again, thank you to all of you for reading this! I love you all for the support!_**

**_Don't forget to review! ;)_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy_**


	14. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Hello everyone! I was really inspired by all your encouraging reviews, so here comes the next chapter!**_

_**First of all, I want to thank all the lovely reviewers: grapejuice101, 1llu510n, SomebodyWhoCares, Tvdlover87654, xXbriannaXx, aireagle92, Thenchick, Spirit1328 and the two anonymous guests "gogo" and "5alvatore"! You guys really are wonderful!**_

_**Back to the chapter now! I really hope you'll enjoy it and that I won't disappoint you!**_

_**Have fun!**_

* * *

Chapter 13: Children of the Damned

"Good morning sleepy head." I groaned and slowly opened my eyes to see Damon looking down at me.

"What time is it?" I yawned and sat up, stretching my arms over my head. I looked at Damon, who hadn't responded yet. He was looking at me strangely. "What?" I snapped, looking down, noticing that my shirt had risen slightly, revealing a little of my stomach. "Seriously?" I asked, pulling it back down.

"Well you are attractive," Damon stated. "It's normal for a man to stare." I didn't say anything as I got up from the bed.

"What time is it?" I asked again and he looked around.

"Noon-ish I would say."

"And why are you here?" I asked, walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

"Since you so kindly agreed to help me find the grimoarie, I figured we could get a head start and begin early," he explained. I finished brushing my teeth and quickly washed my face before stepping back into the room.

"How come?" I asked, but stopped when I saw him going through my underwear drawer. I growled at him when he held up a pair of lacy black hipster panties. "You are so immature," I told him, snatching the panties from his hand and putting it back into the drawer before closing it.

"You got those for me, didn't you?" he teased. "When I told you to buy black lingerie?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'll have you know that I bought those for my ex-boyfriend, but then found out that he was cheating on me with my ex-best friend," I said.

"Ouch," Damon said and I nodded.

"Long time ago," I said. "Now, back to the issue. Why do you want us to start looking for the grimoarie so early?" I walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of ripped black jeans, a grey short-sleeved shirt and my black converse.

"As I told you last night, Stefan has agreed to help me and I'm guessing that since Elena follows Stefan around, she'll be helping too," he told me and I nodded, remembering what he had told me the night before.

"But doesn't that mean that we could take it easy? I mean, the more people looking for the grimoarie, the bigger is the chance that we'll find it, right?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, but I don't entirely trust Stefan and Elena," he stated and I looked at him strangely.

"Why wouldn't you trust them?" I asked.

"Mostly because I've done some things to them in the past that they can't seem to forget," he shrugged.

"Like killing Stefan's best friend Lexi," I said. It wasn't a question, but he nodded.

"I guess," he replied. "That doesn't matter though, the thing is that I just think that it's better if we find some information by ourselves. Elena's looking for Jonathan Gilbert's journal since she is a Gilbert and we'll just look for some information around town. Maybe we'll come across the other vampire that was working with your stalker vamp and find out more from him or her," he explained and I nodded.

"Okay, I get it," I said. "Now, can you get out so I can get dressed or what?" I asked and he grinned at me.

"Can't I watch?" Even though I had wanted to glare at him, a small grin spread across my face.

"Maybe some other time," I said and mentally slapped myself. He grinned and walked towards me slowly. I stood in place, not wanting to show any kind of weakness.

"We might not have another time after I get Katherine back," he told me. "We might just have to make the best of the time we have." His tone was so suggestive that I had to do everything in my power not to shudder.

"Or maybe it just wasn't meant to be," I teased and walked off to the bathroom to get dressed.

"Maybe," I heard him say before closing the door behind myself.

* * *

"So, why are you so obsessed with rescuing Katherine?" I asked as we walked through the woods. Damon had wanted to show me something there and I had reluctantly agreed after making him promise that he wouldn't hurt me.

"I'm not obsessed," he told me and I let out a laugh.

"If this is you _not _being obsessed, then I definitively don't want to see you get obsessed," I joked but he didn't reply. He was walking almost two meters in front of me and I sped up slightly to catch up. "Why don't you tell me about her?" I suggested. "It might make you feel less stressed."

This made him chuckle. "What do you want to know?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Maybe you can tell me a little about what happened back in 1864, before you and Stefan were turned?"

"Mhm..." Damon hummed, seeming to think about it for a moment. "My father took in Katherine after she spun a story about being orphaned by a fire that killed her family," he began. "I was a soldier in the confederate army and when I was on leave once, I returned to Mystic Falls and met her for the first time. We began a relationship and I extended my leave, just so I could spend more time with her," he explained. "Somewhere along the way, I found out that she was also in a relationship with Stefan..." he trailed off, stopping for a moment. I stopped too as he looked around before finally deciding which way to go.

"What happened then?" I asked and he continued with his story.

"Well, Stefan and I found out that she was a vampire. I kept it a secret and so did Stefan for a while, but he just couldn't keep his big mouth shut," Damon said bitterly. "My father, a member of the Council, found out that she was a vampire and he poisoned her by tricking Stefan into drinking vervain." I was once again a couple of steps behind Damon, so I sped up. I failed to notice a small tree branch that had fallen onto the ground and slipped. Fortunately, Damon managed to catch me before I fell.

"Thanks," I said as he held onto me.

"Are you always this clumsy?" he asked and I shot him a glare.

"Continue, please," I said, motioning for him to keep moving. We stared at each other for a moment, before he finally continued walking.

We walked in silence until we reached some old ruins and Damon stopped. He looked around, almost as if to make sure that we were in the right place.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around.

"This is where Stefan and I grew up," he told me. I looked around a second time and let out a low whistle.

"This looks so old," I said and Damon chuckled.

"It's over 145 years old," he told me. "What did you expect?"

"Something a little bit more...whole," I said and he shrugged.

"The Boarding House wasn't built until 1914," Damon explained. "This place was destroyed sometime during or after the battle of Willow Creek. However, that's not important anymore." He looked away for a moment and I stepped forward, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked softly and he turned around to look at me quickly.

"I don't know," he said. "I knew you would want to know more about Katherine and our story, so I figured this might interest you as well. You wanted to know more about our past, didn't you? This is me offering you some information," he told me. "Also, it might be some kind of a peace offering since I'm guessing you're still mad at me for what I said the other day," he admitted. I thought back to the day before the decade dance when he had been mean to me.

"I guess you're right," I said. "I was still mad at you, but since we're starting over, I should be able to forgive you for being a jerk." He grinned at me and I smiled back. "So, I know how Katherine got into the tomb," I told him. "But when did she have time to turn you and Stefan?"

His eyes drifted off to the side for a moment before he answered. "Katherine used to feed me her blood. I guess it was sort of a turn on, for both of us," he said and I tried not to wince. I couldn't imagine how drinking blood could be a turn on, but everything about the supernatural world was kind of twisted. "Stefan and I tried to rescue her from the Council and our father shot us. We died and woke up in transition." I gaped at him.

"Your own father shot you?" I asked and he nodded.

"I guess socializing with vampires wasn't on his list of okay-things-to-do," Damon shrugged. "It was after we were killed that I found out that Katherine had fed Stefan too." He looked up in the sky for a moment. "We should head back. It's a long way home and it's getting late. Do you want me to carry you there?" he offered, but I shook my head.

"It's okay, we'll walk. The fresh air is nice and I love being in the woods," I said and he smirked.

"Figures with you being a witch. 'Nature's servant' and all that," he said.

"How much do you know about witches?" I asked as we began walking back. "I know you knew Bree and you can't deny that you had a feeling about me too, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me to Sheila's house."

"I knew your grandmother," he admitted and I stared at him shocked.

"You knew my grandmother?" I repeated and he nodded.

"I met her a couple of times. Once when she was pregnant and once after your father died," he said.

"Did you know my dad too?" I asked but he shook his head.

"No, I didn't," he said. "I only talked to your grandmother once or twice but believe me when I tell you that she left an impression." I scrunched my nose up in disgust. "It's not that kind of impression," Damon smirked. "That's what I have you for," he added, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

I shrugged it away and walked in front of him so that I could climb up a small stone wall. "What kind of an impression then?" I asked and he blurred up on the wall and offered me his hand which I gladly took. He pulled me up quickly and I suddenly found myself flush against his body.

"She predicted my future," he said and I stared at him.

"I don't think that's what witches do. I mean, I've talked to both Bonnie and Sheila and they haven't even once mentioned anything about-"

"I don't think they know everything that a Blake witch can do," he interrupted.

"So now I can predict the future?" I asked sceptically.

"It's something you learn to do by interpreting dreams Steffy," he told me. "You Blake witches are experts on dreams, if I remember correctly." He looked down towards my stomach, where I had shown him the scars I had received during one of my nightmares. I looked down as well and blushed when I realized I was still pressed against his body. I looked back up and he smirked at me.

Before he could make some inappropriate comment, I decided to speak. "So she interpreted your dreams then?"

"No, she read my future in tea leaves after we had a nice cup of tea," he said sarcastically. "Yes, she interpreted a dream I had had. I wasn't worried about it, and I don't necessarily believe in things like that but I looked her up because I knew some of her ancestors back in 1864," he told me. "They used to read palms just to entertain the other founders at tea parties but I knew there was more to their story. After I found out that they were witches, I kept in touch with some of them over the years, but my contact with them ended after my last meeting with Lily," he said.

"Vampires and witches exist and you don't believe in predicting the future?" I asked. "That's funny."

"Or I just don't believe I have a future," he said and I stared at him for a moment.

"So, what did she predict?" I asked, going back to the original topic.

"Since you're asking so nicely about your family's legacy, I first need to tell you that you can only _learn_ to predict something in the _near_ future," he explained. "At least that is how Lily explained it to me when I asked her."

"Okay. Just the near future, got it," I said, mentally taking notes like I had done at Sheila's.

"She was telling me about an encounter with a vampire I would have and just a few days later, I was attacked by some newborn," he told me.

"So? That doesn't sound so hard to predict," I said and he smirked.

"She explained exactly where it would take place and around what time of the day too," he said. "And she described his appearance as well. Let's just say that she was spot on and I returned a couple of days later, asking her to predict my future again and she explained how it 'didn't work that way' and that I can't force that kind of magic to happen. She told me that it sometimes just comes to her since she never actually bothered to learn that part of Blake magic."

I sighed deeply. "I don't want to learn it either," I admitted. "Why would I want to know what might happen in the future? Besides, everything that is in the future can be changed by someone making a decision, so nothing is certain," I said and he looked at me strangely.

"Did you get that from _Twilight_?" he asked and I started to laugh.

"Actually, I got it from an old book in the library, however, I can't remember what it was called but I know that it was from Shakespeare's time," I said and bit my lip when I met his gaze. "I need to get home soon, I haven't responded to Caroline's texts all day and she might kill me if I get home late," I told him and he nodded before swiftly picking me up bridal style.

"Do you like speed?" he asked and I shook my head. "Then I suggest you close your eyes," he said and I did just that after wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my face to his chest. Suddenly, I heard a sound and felt the wind everywhere until we finally stopped only half a minute later. He put me down gently and smirked at me when I wobbled slightly.

"You okay?" he asked, amusement evident in his tone.

"Yes, I will be once the world stops spinning," I told him and he smirked.

"The world is always spinning, especially when I'm close to you," he told me and I rolled my eyes at him, feeling how the dizziness faded away.

"Thank you for trusting me with your story today Damon," I said and he nodded. "And thank you for telling me a little about my grandmother." Once again he nodded. I bit my lip and stepped forward, kissing him softly on the cheek. "I'll see you around," I told him as I walked inside of the house. I walked over to the window and saw that he was still standing on the porch, looking slightly confused until he finally blurred off. I sighed to myself and headed upstairs when my phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" I asked, not even bothering to check who was calling.

"_Steph, where have you been all day?_" Caroline asked, sounding worried. "_I was afraid you might have run off into the sunset with Emmett or something_."

"No Caroline," I said. "I was talking a walk in the woods with a friend. I'm okay," I told her, a small smile playing on my lips.

"_Oh, well then. I just wanted to tell you something since I never had a chance to do it this morning_," she said.

"Okay, go ahead," I told her.

"_Matt and I kissed last night_," she said and I couldn't help but grin.

"Really?" I asked. "That's great! So he's willing to take a chance then?" I could practically hear the smile on Caroline's face as she explained everything that had happened last night after she and Bonnie left the decade dance. I was glad that their night had been that great, since I had been busy being chased down by a crazy stalker vampire.

"It sounds like you and I need to have a girls night and talk about all of this," I told her and she practically squealed into the phone.

"_Really? You would do that for me?_" she asked, knowing that I wasn't really a fan of those kind of things.

"Yeah, why not. As long as we don't watch the Notebook again," I told her. "We've watched it too many times and it takes way too long to recover from it emotionally afterward."

"_Sure,_" she agreed.

"We can even invite Elena and Bonnie if you'd like," I said and she laughed.

"_Speaking of Elena,_" she said. "_She's been trying to get a hold of you all day. Jenna told her to invite you over for dinner tonight. I already told her you would come since I guessed that you wouldn't enjoy being home alone. Mom is working and Matt and I are going to watch a movie at his place an just hang out a bit,_" she explained and I nodded to myself.

"Great, then I have something to do this fine Saturday," I told her and she laughed.

"_I'm shopping with Bonnie at the moment since she has a date tonight as well with Ben McKittrick,_" she said teasingly and I heard Bonnie say something that sounded a lot like "shut up". "_You should get over there as soon as you can since it's getting dark outside. I'll see you early tomorrow morning Steph!_" Caroline said and hung up before I had the chance to say anything else.

I quickly changed into another one of my grey shirts and pulled up my hair in a pony tail before stepping out of the house and walking over to Elena's.

* * *

"Steffy! I'm glad you could make it," Jenna said as she opened the door.

I grinned at her. "Thank you for having me," I said. "Where's Elena?"

"She's upstairs in her room, probably writing in her diary or something," Jenna said and I nodded before heading upstairs.

"Elena?" I called out and suddenly a door opened. Elena looked at me strangely, but embraced me.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, sounding slightly worried.

"I was with Damon," I told her, trying to ignore the strange look she gave me.

"Why were you with Damon?" she asked as I looked around in her room.

"You and Stefan aren't the only ones who have agreed to help him save Katherine," I told her, picking up a picture of Elena with an older pair. By the look on Elena's face in the picture, I assumed that they were her parents.

"Why would you do that?" she asked and I turned to look at her.

"Why would _you_?" I retorted. She lowered her gaze slightly but recovered quickly. Something was off here...

"Stefan made a deal with him and I'm helping too," she said, trying to sound confident but something in her tone told me that there was something else. "I still don't understand how you can trust Damon enough to spend the entire day with him though," she said pulling on a sweater. "I mean, be both know how bad he can be."

"And yet he didn't compel us even once when we were in Georgia, even though he had the chance to do whatever he wanted," I said, defending him.

"I know you can't be compelled Steffy," Elena said, "but how would I know if he didn't compel me? I wouldn't remember it, would I?"

I looked at her sceptically. "You and Damon were always with me," I told her. "I was watching you all the time, even when you had your little drinking game," I said and she blushed.

"Okay, fine," she said. "But Damon has still done a lot of awful things," she continued. "He compelled and used Caroline for blood and he killed Stefan's best friend."

"Elena, I know," I said, sitting down on the bed. "I know what he has done in the past, but how do you know that Stefan hasn't done something similar? He's a vampire too and as much as both of you sometimes hate to admit it, he has probably done some crappy things in his past too," I said, playing with a teddy bear I found on the bed.

Elena sighed deeply before walking over to me and sitting down on the bed beside me. "I know, okay. I know that you and Damon are becoming friends or whatever, but I just don't want to see you get hurt," she said. "That doesn't matter now though," she told me. "Jenna invited you over for dinner and we're going to make the most of this night without any Damon related arguments," she smiled. I smiled back at her, even though something still felt off.

"Okay, let's go back to the kitchen and help Jenna," I said and Elena nodded.

We walked downstairs and approached the kitchen.

"Hello Steffy. Hello Elena," I heard a familiar voice say as I reached the kitchen. I looked at Damon who was standing behind the counter, preparing a salad. Jenna, who was sitting on the counter with a wine glass in her hand turned around to look at us.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" she asked. "We're cooking dinner." She motioned to Damon, who smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at him. Of course he would invite himself as soon as he heard where we were.

"Is Stefan with you?" Damon asked, looking at Elena. Elena looked at him, still slightly confused on who invited him to dinner, but shook her head.

"No, but he'll be here soon," she told him and he nodded, turning to look at me, a smirk still playing on his lips. For some reason, I couldn't help myself, but smiled back at him.

* * *

Elena and Jenna had gone down to the cellar to find some fancier wine for Jenna and Damon. Jeremy still hadn't gotten home which meant that Damon and I were now alone in the kitchen.

I began walking over to the counter when he suddenly bumped into me.

"Whoa," he said and I gasped out of surprise but quickly recovered with a laugh.

"Don't do that," I told him an he looked at me strangely.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"You know what," I told him. "That move was deliberate."

"Well, yeah," he said. "I was deliberately trying to get to that...sink," he tried and I rolled my eyes at him, a smile still playing on my lips. "Speaking of Stefan, had Elena told you where he is?" he asked and I frowned.

"No, she hasn't," I told him. "Maybe he's just picking something up and running late?" I suggested, turning around to wipe the counter with a dishrag. Suddenly I felt him behind me and turned around.

"Is it real?" he asked and I looked at him confused.

"Is what real?" I asked, not understanding what he meant.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood," he told me. "Can I trust him?" I bit my lip, thinking about what I had sensed earlier in Elena's room. I knew that she was hiding something, but I couldn't exactly blame Stefan for that too.

"Sure you can," I tried, but Damon leaned closer to me.

He looked into my eyes intently. "Can I trust him?" he repeated and I bit my lip.

"You know you can't compel me Damon," I told him and he frowned at me.

"I'm not compelling you," he said, almost as if he was shocked that I would think that low of him. He shook his head. "I just want you to answer me," he said. "Honestly."

I sighed deeply and once again bit my lip. My gut could always be wrong. Maybe Elena and Stefan weren't hiding something? I might just be imagining things... "He's your brother, Damon," I told him. "If you can't trust your brother, who _can_ you trust?" I asked and he looked at me for a while. He lowered his gaze slightly and then looked up into my eyes again, just as he put a lose strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Okay," he said, before stepping away from me, making me instantly miss the heat that he radiated. He walked over to the sink again. "You know, there was a time when I trusted him more than anyone," he told me.

"I told you once that trust goes both ways," I said. "You have to give it to get it."

"Are you lecturing me?" he asked, sounding amused.

"I don't know, do you need to be lectured?" I asked. He looked at me for a moment.

"I just want her back," he told me honestly. "I'm sure you can understand that."

"Actually, I can," I said. "I just don't get why because Stefan doesn't. I know, he has Elena and all, but if he loved her as much as you did, then why isn't he also looking for her?" I asked.

Damon shot me a glare. "Stefan believes that Katherine compelled us into loving her. She never compelled me. My love for her was real," he said.

I nodded once. "Okay. I can understand that you would do anything for her, yes," I said.

He walked closer to me. "Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way," he said, before walking off. I bit my lip, looking after him, hoping that I was wrong about Elena and Stefan hiding something.

* * *

After Jeremy came home, we decided we couldn't wait for Stefan and ate dinner without him. Damon was talking to Jenna all the time during dinner, charming her as he did. Once in a while, he shot me a wink and I smiled back at him before noticing that Elena was looking at me strangely. Jeremy wasn't even bothered to listen to the conversation around the table because he was famished. After dinner, Damon joined Jeremy for a game of Mario Kart while I helped Elena and Jenna clean up the kitchen. After a while I walked over to Damon and Jeremy and watched for a while as Damon beat him.

"You said you never played this thing before," Jeremy said, his eyes never leaving the TV.

"I'm a fast learner," Damon said. "Quick reflexes." Even though I was standing behind them, I could tell that Damon was smirking. Jeremy's phone suddenly rang, but he didn't even bother looking at it.

"Who are you dodging?" I asked, walking around the couch to stand beside Jeremy.

"This girl Anna," Jeremy said. "She can be, uh, persistent," he said.

"Is she hot?" Damon asked and I rolled my eyes at his question.

"Yeah, but she can be weird," Jeremy said and Damon grinned.

"Hot trumps weird, trust me," he said and I let out a laugh.

"I couldn't agree more," I said. "There is just something about strange men that is an incredible turn on," I said sarcastically. "Especially when they run around town causing mayhem."

"Interesting," Damon mumbled and I walked back to the kitchen.

Jenna grabbed my arm. "He is ridiculously _hot_," she whispered to me and I smirked.

"He's an ass," I whispered loud enough for Damon to hear. I looked over at Elena who was looking through a box of old things. "What are you doing?" I asked, walking over to her and looking at the things in the box. There were old letters and pictures in there.

"I thought there might be something about my birth parents," she said as Jenna stepped forward.

"Have you told Jeremy yet?" she asked and Elena shook her head.

"I will, when the time is right," she said, just as the doorbell rang. "That's Stefan," Elena said before getting up and walking over to the door. I went with her and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damon get up from the couch as well.

Elena opened the door and Stefan motioned for us to come outside. We all stepped out and Damon looked at Stefan.

"Well? Did you find the journal?" he asked and Stefan shook his head.

"Someone took it," he said and Damon glared at him.

"Who took it?" he asked angrily.

"I don't know," Stefan said honestly.

"You know what? It's that teacher," Damon said accusingly. "There's something really off about him," he said.

"No, Damon," Stefan said. "He doesn't know anything about it. Somebody got there right before I did," he told us.

"Well, who else knew it was there?" Damon snapped, turning around to look at Jeremy, who was still on the sofa.

"Damon, no," I said sternly. "Leave him out of this."

"What's the big deal?" Damon asked, walking over to Jeremy.

"Damon!" Elena called, trying to stop him but it was already too late. I hurried after Damon and stood beside him as he stood by Jeremy.

"So," Damon said casually. "I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

Jeremy frowned. "Huh?"

"Don't ask questions, just spill," Damon said, already loosing his temper.

"You're kidding me right?" Jeremy asked and looked at us.

"Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" I asked and he looked at me strangely.

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?" he asked.

"Who else did you tell?" Elena asked him.

"Just that girl Anna," Jeremy replied.

"The hot weird one?" Damon asked and Jeremy nodded.

"Wait, who is Anna?" Stefan asked, clearly confused.

"That's what I want to find out," Damon said and turned back to Jeremy. "How do you know her?" he asked.

"I just know her," Jeremy shrugged. "She wants me to meet her at the Grill tonight."

Damon clapped his hands together. "Perfect," he said. "I'll drive. Come on," he said and grabbed my hand pulling me along with him.

I sat down in the front passenger seat and Jeremy sat down in the back. I didn't speak at all on our way to the Grill because I knew that Elena didn't want Jeremy involved in all of this.

"Thanks for the ride," Jeremy said as he jumped out of the car. "I'll see you around Steph," he said and I waved at him before turning over to Damon.

"What now?" I asked. "Aren't we supposed to find out who this Anna chick is?"

Damon only nodded and looked towards the Grill. Soon enough, some girl, maybe a year younger than me walked towards the Grill. She was pretty, but something about her walk said that she was anything but innocent.

"Is that her?" I asked and Damon nodded.

"Let's go," he said and drove off.

"Where are we going?" I asked him and he nodded towards a small hotel.

"She came out of that building, so I'm guessing she lives there. We'll go there and wait for her," he told me.

"Do you think it's safe?" I asked and he nodded.

"You're with me," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Nothing will happen to you." I bit my lip but nodded. Trust breeds trust. If he trusts me, I can trust him too.

* * *

I sat down on the couch in the small hotel room. Looking around, I noticed how empty the apartment looked.

"When do you think she'll come back?" I asked Damon, who as usual, was looking through the drawers.

"Probably soon," he said. "Don't worry, the hotel staff has been compelled. They don't even know we're here," he told me and I shot him a look.

"I don't like that you had to compel them," I told him and he smirked.

"Well, I didn't have another choice now, did I?" he said, sounding as if he didn't care much about it.

"You probably would have compelled them anyway, even if you had a choice," I said and he shrugged.

"I'm a vampire," he told me. "That is just something that comes naturally to me. It doesn't bother me, so it shouldn't bother you either."

"But I'm _not_ a vampire, so is it really that strange that it does bother me?" I asked. "I'm sure Elena would be bothered by it as well. Having someone control you, making you do things you won't remember later... It must be awful," I said, thinking about Caroline and how horrible she must have felt after Damon compelled her.

"But I can't compel you, can I?" he said. "So you won't have to worry about that."

I shot him a look. "If you were able to compel me, would you?"

He stayed quiet for a moment. "Hide somewhere, she's coming," he suddenly whispered before hiding by the door. I ducked behind the couch as Damon turned off the lights. Soon enough, we heard a key turn and the door opened to reveal that same girl that had entered the Grill earlier. Suddenly, Damon caught her throat and she grabbed him too, blurring them over to the wall as they held onto each other with a firm grip for a while.

"Okay," Damon managed to get out. "I give up." She let go of his throat and he coughed. "Damn. You're strong for a little thing," he told her and she looked at him amused. She was also panting a little.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me," she said, turning around to look at me. "I see you brought your little witch friend along too," she added and I bit my lip. Damon sped over to my side and put an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"How long have you been here?" he asked the girl, Anna.

"I arrived around half-past comet, watching you screw up every chance you had to open that tomb," she said.

"How did you know about the spell?" Damon asked, letting his arm drop from my waist for a moment.

"I didn't say much back then, which means I heard everything," Anna said with a grin.

I looked at her confused for a moment. "If you've been here for so long, then how come you two haven't crossed paths?" I asked her and she looked at me, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I like to use others to do my dirty work," she told me.

"Like Logan Fell?" Damon asked. "Oh, yeah, thanks for that by the way. Little bastard shot me," he said and I looked at them both confused. Logan Fell? Hadn't he been Jenna's ex or something?

"Logan was an idiot," Anna said. "We slipped him some blood when he started getting all poser slayer with that compass. I needed his family's journal. I couldn't let him die."

"What did you want with the Fell journal?" I asked and she once again looked at me.

"Curious little Blake witch, aren't you?" she asked. "I thought it contained the location of the witch's spell book. I was wrong. According to her journal, Honoria gave the grimoarie to Jonathan Gilbert, and according to this," she held up the old journal, "he gave it to your father. So now you're going to help me find it," she finished, handing him the book.

"Why would I help you?" he asked.

"Because you and I both want that tomb open," Anna stated, opening up a specific page in the journal. Damon looked at it for a moment before nodding and closing it up again.

"Sorry," he said. "I work alone. Come on Steph," he said, motioning for me to come with him. I gave Anna one last glance before Damon put his arm around my waist again, leading me outside. We walked quickly to the car and he started driving as soon as I had put my seat belt on.

"You know where it is?" I asked and he nodded.

"My father always used to say that his secrets would follow him into the grave and he was a man of his word," he told me.

My eyes widened when I realized where the grimoarie must be. "Your father's _grave_?" I asked. "We are going to dig up your father's grave?"

"I want that grimoarie Steffy," Damon told me. "No matter what I have to do to get it, I will do it."

It was already dark outside when we reached the graveyard. Damon surprised me when he took a hold of my hand.

"So you won't get lost in the dark," he told me as he led the way. He was walking a bit faster than me, so my view wasn't the best. Suddenly, he stopped walking and I almost walked straight into him, but managed to stop in time. He let go of my hand and clenched his fists. "Well what do you know?" he said. "This is an interesting turn of events." I looked past him and stared at Stefan and Elena, who were on the other side of the open grave, holding onto an old looking book.

"I can't let you bring her back," Stefan said, looking at Damon. "I'm sorry." I couldn't believe they had lied this way. Both Stefan and Elena! How could they have done this? I couldn't imagine what Damon must have felt when he saw them.

"So am I," Damon said. "For thinking even for a second that I could trust you." He sounded mad, really mad.

"Oh, you're not capable of trust," Stefan said. "The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and that you were planning on doing this yourself," he said.

"Of course I was going to do it by myself," Damon snapped. "Because the only one I can count on is _me_" You made sure of that so many years ago, Stefan, and I didn't expect better from your girlfriend over there either," he said, motioning to Elena who was standing behind Stefan. "But _you_..." he said, turning around and looking at me. I stared at him. "You had me fooled," he told me.

"Damon, I swear-" I began, but he growled at me, showing his vampire face, making me jump and stay quiet. His face turned back to normal and he looked at me for a moment, a hurt look on his face. He turned back to Stefan.

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked him. "Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip Steffy's heart out." Panic rose inside of me. I hadn't done anything! I hadn't betrayed him like Stefan and Elena had! I was on his side!

"You won't kill her," Stefan said calmly, shaking his head.

"I can do one better," Damon said, suddenly blurring towards me. Before I knew it, I was trapped in an iron grip, feeling Damon's arm around my throat and his wrist on my mouth. A coppery liquid filled my mouth and I tried not to swallow anything, but in the end, the lack of oxygen got the better of me and I swallowed down the blood he fed me. My head was spinning as I stared at Stefan, trying to take a breath. He and Elena had taken a step forward and they both had shocked expressions on their faces.

"Give me the book Stefan," Damon said. "Or I'm snapping her neck and then the two of us will have another vampire girlfriend."

"Damon, please," I tried, tears springing to my eyes. "I swear I didn't know," I managed to say.

"Let her go Damon!" Elena screamed, staring at me with wide eyes. Her face had become extremely pale. "She didn't know! We lied to her too! She didn't know what we were going to do!"

"Give. Me. The. Book," Damon repeated, tightening his grip on me just a little. "Or else I'll snap her neck faster than you can say 'betrayal.'"

"Let her go first," Stefan said.

"The book!" Damon snapped again.

"I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to me and Elena," Stefan said.

"Problem is," Damon said, "I no longer trust that you'll give it back."

"You just did the one thing that ensures that I will," Stefan said, looking at me with a worried expression. He slowly put the grimoarie on the ground in front of him. "Let her go," he repeated calmly. Damon's grip on me slowly loosened and I felt him lean towards my head and inhale. Did I imagine it, or did he just smell my hair? Soon enough, he let go of me entirely and Stefan put his hand out for me. He nodded at me to move forward and I didn't hesitate a second when I ran into his arms, feeling him embrace me as I turned to look at Damon, tears still in my eyes.

"I didn't do it," I rasped. "I swear I would never..." I looked away from him and buried my head in Stefan's shoulder before he and Elena led me away from the grave and away from Damon.

* * *

I felt awfully empty inside when Stefan and Elena drove me home. They didn't speak the entire way, but Elena sat in the back seat with me, embracing me as I tried to calm down by taking deep breaths. I felt awful. I couldn't believe they had done what they had done. The hardest thing to understand though, was why Damon would think that I had anything to do with it. We had bonded today and we had been honest with each other, and yet, he still thought I would betray him so easily.

When we reached my house, both Stefan and Elena followed me to the door.

"I'm sorry," Stefan said as we reached the door.

"For what?" I asked. "For betraying your brother, or not telling me what you were planning to do?" He shifted uncomfortably and Elena looked down, ashamed of herself.

"For putting you in danger," Stefan answered.

"Oh," I said, looking away from them. "I can't believe you didn't tell me what you were planning," I told them.

"We knew you and Damon bonded over in Georgia and we were going to tell you, but then you said that you had spent the entire day with him and that you were helping him," Elena added. "We just didn't know if you would help us." I didn't respond.

"Would you have been able to do it?" Stefan asked me and I looked at him. "Would you have been able to do this to Damon?"

I didn't hesitate for a second. "No," I said coldly. "I wouldn't have been able to do it." I sighed deeply, looking down, pinching the brig of my nose. "No matter how bad he is sometimes, he's doing this all out of love. It's twisted and sad, yes, but anyone capable of love is capable of being saved," I told them. "I believe in him Stefan," I said, looking up at Stefan. "I might be making a mistake, but I just can't _not_ trust him for some reason. At the night of your birthday party, I spoke to Lexi about him," I said and both Elena and Stefan looked at one another before turning to look at me again. "She told me that she knew he had a heart deep down and that guys like him build walls around themselves as soon as they get hurt so that people won't see their humanity. I now understand what she was talking about..." I trailed off. "He lashes out when he's hurt and I understand that. So no Stefan, I would never have been able to hurt him the way the two of you hurt him tonight," I told him. "I need to go to bed now. Good night," I said and unlocked the door as I walked inside.

"Good night," they both mumbled before walking off to their car and driving away. I closed my eyes for a moment, leaning against the door with my back. My head was still spinning, probably from Damon's blood. I looked at myself in the mirror. There was dried blood on my chin and my eyes were red and filled with tears. Slowly, I made my way up to my room.

As soon as I opened my door and walked in, I froze. Damon was standing by the window, looking at me warily. He blurred forward and I flinched, turning away, afraid that he might lash out on me.

"Are you scared of me?" he asked in a whisper after a moment of silence. I slowly turned my head to look at him and met his eyes.

"No," I answered.

"Even after what I did tonight?" he asked and I nodded. If he had come here to hurt me, he would have by now. "I heard your conversation with Stefan and Elena," he said and I bit my lip.

"I swear that I didn't know what they were going to do Damon," I said in a whisper, looking down. He put his finger under my chin and lifted my head up, making me look at him again.

"I heard what they said too," he told me. "I was stupid for snapping like that," he then said. "It won't happen again."

I let out a dry laugh, tears threatening to fall from my eyes again. "Is this you apologizing?" I asked and he just stared at me.

"I don't do apologizes," he told me.

I took a step back from him and walked over to my bed and sat down. "My head is spinning," I said. He blurred into my bathroom suddenly. I heard water running and then he blurred back to my side, kneeling in front of me with a wet towel. He put a hand on my cheek and then wiped away the dried blood off with the towel. When he was done, he threw the towel down on the floor. "Thank you," I said, biting my lip again.

"I don't do apologizes Steffy," he said again. "But I do make mistakes," he added. "My mistake tonight was not believing you when you said you had nothing to do with Stefan and Elena's betrayal. I should have known better."

"Apology accepted," I told him and a small, barely noticeable smile spread across his lips.

"You should get some sleep now," he told me. "You've had a busy day, mostly because of me," he said and I laughed.

"You owe me one for everything. I think I even managed to make Elena and Stefan feel bad," I said, thinking of the look on their faces when I defended Damon.

"I don't think they understand why you would defend me," Damon said. "Frankly, I don't understand myself. After everything I've done to you and to your cousin, you should hate me more than they do."

I looked at him. "I can't hate my friends Damon," I told him. "Even if you insist that you don't have friends and that you can't trust anyone, I still consider you one and I always will," I said. "Unless you kill me one day, because I swear I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your eternal life," I added and he chuckled.

"I'll hold you to that," he said and stood up. "Good night Steffy," he said as I laid down under the covers.

"Good night Damon," I said back. I blinked once and he was gone. A smile played on my lips for a moment until something else dawned on me. Damon had gotten the grimoarie tonight. That meant that he was a step closer to getting Katherine out of the tomb, which also meant that he would leave Mystic Falls sooner than I had ever expected.

Why did that make me feel so awful again?

* * *

_**A/N: So? What did you think? Hate it? Love it?**_

_**Here's the link to Steffy's outfit for this chapter: www. polyvore cgi/set?id =73050832 (Remove spaces!)**_

_**Also, which was your favorite Deffy moment in the chapter?**_

_**Personally, I wanted this chapter to be Steffy and Damon bonding as friends and showing that they could trust each other. I think Steffy also shocked Stefan and Elena slightly when she defended Damon in the end, don't you think? I don't think they really understood how deeply Steffy is bonding with Damon...maybe Steffy herself doesn't even understand it yet.**_

_**And oh! That constant reminder that Damon only wants Katherine back... Well, we'll see about that ;)**_

_**If you enjoyed the chapter, please review! It helps a lot when I write to get encouraging words and thoughts and so on! =) Also, I need to say that grapejuice101 read my mind about the whole graveyard scene! *mumbles*"Managed to guess exactly how I wanted it to go down..." Oh well, maybe I'm predictable! ^^ Hahaha!**_

_**So, once again, if you enjoyed the chapter, please review! If you didn't, constructive criticism is always welcome (if you want a virtual chair thrown at you, hahaha! No, just kidding!).**_

_**Tell me your favorite Deffy moment and what you hope will happen next, since Damon has officially decided to trust Steffy after hearing her defend him!**_

_**Lots of love to everyone!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Hello everyone!**_

_**I need to start off with apologizing for not responding to all of your reviews! I'm going to use the lame excuse that I simply didn't have time, which I really feel awful for. I mean, here you are, reading my fic and taking time to review and I just don't have time to answer or write back to you. I'm awfully sorry, really, I am. So, to make up for it, I decided to post this chapter and I PROMISE that this time, you'll all get a reply from me! Pinky promise! =)**_

_**For now though, I need to thank all of those who have but this story and me on alert/favorite! I love you all! And a special thank you to RockaRosalie, Tvdlover87654, grapejuice101, xXbriannaXx, 1llu510n, SomebodyWhoCares, SilverNeira, Moonlightprincess1619 and oXxgeorgiaxXo who gave me lovely reviews on the last chapter!  
**_

_**Also, I need to share that I've actually started a Tumblr-account! I started a blog just for this story where I'll post sneak peaks, photoshopped pics and so on for the story! I'll be able to keep contact with you guys and respond to anything you ask me, isn't that great! =) I'm just starting to learn how to use it though, so I'm sorry if I'm not as advanced as others might be =)**_

_**This is the link to my tumblr: author 123456. tumblr (type it without spaces!)**_

_**For now though, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and that I'll wake up and see that you have reviewed some =) Trust me when I tell you I really need some cheering up... My life has been filled with nothing but drama lately...**_

_**Well, enjoy! =)**_

* * *

Chapter 14: Fool Me Once

"What the hell..." I mumbled, slowly opening my eyes. My phone was ringing. I looked at the clock: it was early in the morning. I checked the caller-ID before answering. "Stefan?" I asked, confused about why he would be calling me at six o'clock in the morning.

"Steffy!" he exclaimed. "Thank God you're there."

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I be here?" I asked, still confused.

"Elena has been kidnapped," he blurted out and I sat up straight, suddenly wide awake.

"What?"

"She's been kidnapped by Anna," he told me. "I can't find her anywhere. Please meet me at the Boarding House," he begged.

"Sure, but why-"

"I need to get Damon to help me find her," he said. "I'll see you there." He hung up before I had the chance to tell him that I already knew where Anna's apartment was. I groaned loudly, getting up from the bed. I really wished that I could have _one_ day without something crazy going on.

I walked over to my closet and pulled on a strapless floral dress. I accompanied it with a navy military jacket and a pair of ballerina flats. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and pulled up my hair in a ponytail. I grabbed my phone on the way out, but just as I opened my bedroom door, Caroline stood in front of me, ready to knock.

"Hi," I said quickly.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"I was heading over to the Boarding house," I told her. "Stefan asked me to come by and help him with something."

Caroline looked at me suspiciously. "You are aware of the fact that you are _my _cousin, right?" she asked and I looked at her strangely.

"Of course," I said. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

She sighed deeply and shook her head. Frustration was written all over her face. "_Because_, Steffy!" she exclaimed, putting her hands on her head. "For these last couple of days, all you've done is spend time with Elena, Bonnie, Stefan and _Damon_," she said. It was obvious that the Damon-part annoyed her most. "You and I haven't had any time together at all," she told me.

"I'm sorry Care," I told her and she scoffed, making me angry. "What do you want me to say?" I snapped. "Do you want me to tell you I'm sorry for doing what you told me in the first place? That I'm sorry for making friends and getting to know people in town?"

She let out yet another sigh. "No, I'm sorry," she said, pinching the brig of her nose. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I guess I just..." she trailed off and looked away. I immediately felt the anger fade away. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"You just what?" I asked and she shrugged.

"It's just that, I've always been an only child," she said. "All I ever had was my friends to depend and they weren't always there. When my mom told me that you would be living with us, I was happy because I thought that I would _finally_ get a sister," she said, looking at me with her big, bright blue eyes. "I thought I would finally have someone who would always be there and never betray me, but nowadays, you're always busy with something."

I bit my lip before stepping forward and embracing her tightly. "Who knew you could be such a softie?" I asked her and she giggled. "How about this," I began, pulling away from her. "I'll go over to the Boarding house, help Stefan out and then I'll meet you at the Grill for some sisterly bonding?" I suggested and her eyes immediately brightened up.

"Yes," she agreed. "That sounds like a lot of fun." She smiled at me again. "So, hurry up and I'll wait for you at the Grill. We have lots and lots of things to talk about," she winked before walking off. I shook my head, smiling slightly to myself.

My cousin is definitively one of a kind.

* * *

I didn't understand how I could stay calm in a situation like this. Elena had been kidnapped by Anna last night and I wasn't panicking. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I also felt as if Anna wouldn't do anything to hurt Elena...

I arrived at the Boarding house and walked right in without knocking. I was getting used to the place and felt kind of at home with it as well. As I got closer to the living room, I overheard a part of Stefan and Damon's conversation.

"Katherine got taken away from you because of me," Stefan said. "And I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," Damon said and I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"So please, just tell me what you know," Stefan pleaded. "It's Elena Damon. If you know something, tell me." Silence filled the room and I heard someone taking a few steps.

"I mean this sincerely– I hope Elena dies," Damon said coldly. I frowned and stepped into the room. Immediately his eyes turned to me, with a strange look. Had he not known I was there? Maybe he had been so caught up in his conversation with Stefan that he hadn't heard me like he used to. "Steffy," he acknowledged. "I didn't hear you come in."

"How could you say such a thing?" I asked, walking towards him. The shock was probably written all over my face. Stefan looked at us curiously. "Elena is my _friend_ Damon," I told him. "Just because the two of us have come close to being friends doesn't mean that I will abandon all my other friends."

His eyes hardened as I spoke. "And I respect that," he told me. "Now, I've already made up my mind about all of this. I won't be helping. Betrayal doesn't suit well with me," Damon said, smirking at Stefan, who looked as if he might snap at any moment. I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of a vampire fight, so instead I took a step towards Stefan.

"Stefan, I know where Anna's apartment is," I told him. "I'll show you and you can drop me off by the Grill on the way. I'm meeting Caroline there for some sisterly bonding," I told him with a smile.

He looked at me incredulously. "How can you be so calm Steffy?" he asked me. "Anna might be hurting Elena." I shook my head.

"I don't think Anna would hurt her... I believe she might be using her as leverage," I told him and he nodded.

"Let's go then," he said, taking my hand in his and pulling me toward the door. I turned around for a second, only to see Damon standing by the bookshelf, glaring at us. For a moment, it almost looked like he was glaring at our intertwined hands...

* * *

I showed Stefan where Anna's apartment was and drove me to the Grill. He told me that he would wait until he was certain that Anna wasn't in the apartment since she was a lot older and stronger than him.

"Elena will be alright Stefan," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I'll talk to you guys later, okay?" Before I could step out of his car he stopped me.

"Steffy," he said. "I don't necessarily understand this thing you and Damon have, but I feel as it's my duty to warn you," he told me, sighing deeply. "I know that I've said it before but Damon will probably hurt you. I just want you to be careful..."

I smiled weakly at him. "I will Stefan," I told him and walked off before he could stop me again.

As I was walking towards the entrance, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and smiled brightly at Caroline.

"You came," she stated and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked and she shrugged.

"I just figured you would ditch me, but now that you're here, let's go," she grinned before linking our arms together and pulling me inside. We sat down by a table in a corner and ordered some coffee.

"So," I said. "What have you been up to lately? Any drama I need to know about?" I asked and Caroline laughed.

"Actually, my life has been kind of drama-free for a while. Well, except for the fact that Matt and I are..._something,_" she replied, her tone lower than usual.

"'Something?'" I repeated. "Aren't you guys, like, together now?"

Caroline bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess we kind of are, but I constantly feel as if I'm going to screw things up and that I might scare him away if I'm too forward. Besides, we just kissed and we haven't exactly been talking about taking things to a relationship level," she explained. It did make sense. Caroline has always had a problem with getting too attached or clingy, but since Matt had been the one to kiss _her_, maybe she was overreacting a bit.

"Maybe you should talk to Matt about this?" I suggested. "I mean, he works here, doesn't he? You can probably find him somewhere and tell him how you feel." I looked around, scanning the Grill for Matt, but he was probably cleaning the dishes at the moment.

"I actually have a speech prepared for him," Caroline said, bringing me back to the conversation. I looked at her and bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"A speech?" I asked. A low chuckle escaped my lips. "What kind of a speech?"

"The 'You kissed me and I don't want things to be weird' speech," she told me. "I've rehearsed it and all. I'm giving him an out."

I smiled at her and put my hand over hers. "Caroline, my dear cousin, you underestimate yourself, so, so much," I told her. "You are one of the most loving and caring people I've ever gotten the pleasure of getting to know, and I'm not just saying this because you are my cousin. Stop degrading yourself, Matt should be lucky you like him as much as you do," I said and the faintest hint of a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Thanks Steph," she smiled. "You're kind of wonderful yourself."

* * *

Half an hour later, Caroline and I had finished our coffee, but we were still talking and having a good time together. We shared a couple of stories, had a couple of good laughs and she even complimented me on my dress choice, telling me how it made me look "cute, yet sophisticated". She told me about a party some guy from Duke was having tonight and told me I should come. I told her I would think about it since I didn't know whether I would be up for it or not.

"Have you seen Elena today?" Caroline suddenly asked me.

"No," I said honestly.

"I've been calling and texting both her and Bonnie today, but they seem to have fallen off the Earth," Caroline said, checking her phone again. A strange feeling began to spread in my gut.

"Bonnie hasn't answered either?" I asked and Caroline shook her head.

"Nope."

This was probably the worst thing about not being able to tell Caroline anything about the supernatural world we live in. I had a feeling that Bonnie had also been kidnapped by Anna, but I hoped I was wrong. At that moment, I wanted to tell Caroline everything about me being a witch, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. How would she react? Would she accept me, or would she run to my aunt and tell her? How would Liz react?

"Hey look, there's Jeremy," Caroline said. "Let's go ask him about Elena." She stood up and walked over to Jeremy, not waiting for my reply. I picked up my bag and payed for the coffee before walking over to the two of them.

"Wait, Duke goes to Duke?" Jeremy asked Caroline, just as I approached them.

"His real name is Bob or something," Caroline said dismissively. "He's a total ass, but he buys the beer. You should come," she suggested and Jeremy turned to me.

"Are you going Steph?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Don't know yet, why do you ask?" I asked him and he gave me a small smile.

"It would be nice to have someone that I know there," he told me and I smiled back at him.

"Well, Caroline will be there and you know her, don't you?" I said and he shrugged.

"Yeah, come on Jeremy," Caroline urged. "Everyone goes. Even quiet little loner brothers," she told him with a small smile. "You should think about it."

"Sure, I'll think about it," Jeremy replied and stood up. "I need to get going," he told us. "I'll see you around Steph. Bye Caroline," he said and walked away after giving me a one-armed hug.

"Hey, there's Matt," I pointed out and Caroline turned around excitedly. "You should go, give him your speech," I said and she nodded. Just then, my phone started ringing. I picked it up and looked at the caller-ID. "Elena?" I said.

"_Steffy! Thank God I got a hold of you!_" Elena said into the phone. "_Bonnie and I are okay, we're at Bonnie's grandmother's house. Come over here as soon as you can, okay? We need to talk,_" she said.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," I told her and hung up. Caroline looked at me. "That was Elena. She and Bonnie are at Bonnie's grandmother's place. They've been there all day, cleaning out the basement and now they need my help throwing some trash away," I lied.

"Why didn't they call me then?" Caroline asked and I raised an eyebrow.

"Would you really like to help throw out some old, crazy woman's trash? And risk growing an extra head or two?" I joked and Caroline nodded.

"Good point," she told me. "Have fun and text me if you're coming to Duke's party."

"I will," I said and walked off before she said anything else.

* * *

I walked up to Sheila's door and knocked. A few seconds later, the door was opened by Elena, who had Stefan by her side. I stepped forward and hugged her.

"Thank God you're okay," I told her. "Where's Bonnie?" I asked and she pointed to the kitchen.

"Thank you for helping Stefan find us," Elena said and I smiled at her.

"You two are my friends Elena," I told her. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for my friends." We walked over to the kitchen and Bonnie immediately stood up and hugged me.

"Thank you so much Steffy," she said and I smiled at her.

"It's okay Bon, really," I said and Sheila smiled at me. "Don't start thanking me, please," I told her, putting my hand up. "I really didn't do anything. Stefan did all the saving," I said and pointed at him. He looked down, trying to hide his smile.

"So," I said after a moment. "What do we do now?" I asked, looking at the four of them.

Stefan stepped forward. "Well for now, you need to stay here," he told Sheila and Bonnie.

"A prisoner in my own home?" Sheila asked. "I don't think so."

"I can't protect you if you leave the house," Stefan pointed out.

"We'll protect ourselves," Sheila insisted.

I looked at them strangely. "You guys do know what we _really _need to do, don't you?" I asked and they all looked at me strangely. "We need to let Damon have Katherine back," I told them and they all stared at me for a moment.

Elena stepped forward. "Steffy is right," she said. "He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it," she said and looked at me.

"No," Bonnie objected. "He doesn't deserve to get what he wants," she said.

"What other choice do we have, Bonnie?" Elena asked and Sheila shook her head.

"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems," she muttered. "As much as we try to stay out of it. I'll open the tomb," she told us and then turned to Stefan. "You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will all be over," she said.

"We still have to get Damon to agree," Stefan pointed out and looked at me.

"He already agreed once," Elena pointed out and I nodded.

"Yeah, and then we double crossed him. So now he's angry," Stefan said.

"He's _hurt,_" I said. "There's a difference."

Elena looked at me. "I need to talk to him, but he won't listen to me unless you're with me," she told me.

"I'll come with you," I told her.

"I just need to get my things," Elena said and ran upstairs. I turned to look at Sheila and Bonnie.

"Are you two sure about all of this?" I asked. "You might need to use a _lot _of power for this spell," I said and Sheila nodded.

"Bonnie and I can handle it," she said confidently.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked. "I know that I haven't been practicing as long as the two of you but there must be something I can help you with," I said and Sheila looked at me for a moment.

"Come with me," she said and walked towards the living room. I followed her there and she stopped in front of the fireplace. "There might be something you can do to help us," she said. "But it is dangerous and you need to rest a lot afterward," she told me.

"Anything," I told her, eager to help.

"Don't agree until you've heard what I want you to do," Sheila said and I swallowed down. Could it really be that bad? "I want you to let me and Bonnie channel some of your power," Sheila said.

"Channel some of my power?" I asked, not quite sure what she meant.

"Borrow," she explained. "We'll tap into your power and borrow some of it to help make us stronger while we perform the spell. It will probably weaken you slightly, but we won't borrow too much, since we are two. That way, you'll be able to help," she explained.

"Have you done this before? Channeling, I mean."

"A few times over the years. Bonnie doesn't even have to know about it. She doesn't have to know how we're doing it," Sheila said. "I don't want her to get any ideas to go and do that with unknown people," she explained with a smile.

"So you'll draw power from me, just like you can draw power from the moon or the sun?" I asked and she nodded. "It won't hurt, will it?"

"No, but as I said, it might weaken you," Sheila repeated.

It didn't take long for me to make up my mind. "I'll do it," I told her. "As long as I get to help somehow. I don't want to hand around and feel useless," I said. She put a hand on my shoulder.

"You are anything but useless, my dear," she told me, a smile still on her lips. I smiled back and turned around when I heard Elena calling my name. I turned back to Sheila for a moment and bit my lip.

"I have one more question," I said and she nodded.

"Anything," she said and I smiled.

"Do you have any other pictures of my aunts and my dad?" I asked. "If you do, I would love to see them. I need to find out what happened to Adeline after my grandmother passed away," I explained and she nodded.

"Of course," she told me. "I'll bring them tonight if you manage to convince Damon to accept the deal. Now go, Elena's waiting for you," she told me and I hugged her.

"Thank you," I told her, before finally running off to Elena, who was waiting for me by the door. "Let's go then," I said, and we walked over to my car.

* * *

"Aren't you going to knock first?" Elena asked as I opened the door to the Boarding house and stepped inside.

I looked at her strangely. "Why? It's not as if it's locked. Besides, I'm not some homicidal maniac who wants to rip them apart either," I told her and she just shook her head at me. We walked over to the living room and I stopped when I saw Damon there, putting on his jacket, ready to leave.

"I'm gonna have to change the locks," Damon said, looking at us.

"It's not as if you lock the door anyway, Damon," I told him stepping forward. "Elena want's to talk to you," I said.

"We convinced Bonnie to help you," Elena said and Damon looked at her strangely.

"I doubt that," he smirked.

"Look, I'm not gonna say that I'm sorry we got the grimoarie without you last night, because I'm not really," Elena said. Damon turned to look at me and I shrugged.

"At least she's being honest," I said and a ghost of smile appeared on his lips at my attempted joke.

"I was protecting the people I love, Damon," Elena continued. "Including Steffy. But now I know that you were doing the same thing, in your own twisted way," she said. "And as hard as it is to figure, we're all on the same side, after the same thing."

"Not interested," Damon said.

"Yes you are," Elena said, "because you were willing to work with us yesterday. You're _still_ willing to work with Steffy!" Damon flashed forward so he was standing in front of her.

"At least she didn't betray me like you and my brother did," he snarled at her. I took this as my cue to step forward.

"Damon please, just listen for a moment," I said as I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "We want to help you," I told him. "I was there, I know what they said. They want to help. They just want it all to be over," I said and he looked at me for a moment before turning back to Elena.

"Fool me once, shame on you," he told her.

"I will help you get Katherine back," Elena said.

"I wish I could believe you," Damon said, just as Elena took off her vervain necklace and placed it on the table.

"Ask me if I'm lying now," she said confidently. "Steffy has convinced me that this is the best option for all of us. I want to help," she repeated.

He looked at her strangely for a moment. "Put your necklace back on Elena," he told her. "I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."

Elena beamed at me and I nodded at her.

"I'll go call Stefan and tell him to meet us in the woods," she said, hurrying outside. I turned to look at Damon.

"It's going to be okay Damon," I told him. "You'll get Katherine back tonight," I said confidently and he nodded.

"I just hope you're right and I can trust her," he told me.

"You can," I said. "They won't betray you again," I told him. _I won't let them._

* * *

We arrived at the woods, only to hear music and people laughing and running around.

"The Duke party," I remembered. "I completely forgot about that. I hope they stay clear of the church," I said, looking at Elena and Damon who were walking on either side of me.

"Your hope, not mine," Damon said and I smacked him on the arm playfully, just as someone approached us.

"Elena, Steffy, hey!" Matt greeted us. Caroline looked at me suspiciously. Her look went from me, to Damon and back to me again. She didn't even seem to notice that Elena was there for a moment, until she said 'hi' to her too. I noticed how she suddenly grabbed Matt's hand as she spoke to us. Was she...staking a claim on Matt?

"Where have you guys been all day?" Caroline asked me and Elena. "You didn't call nor text after you left the Grill Steffy," she pouted at me.

"Long story, no time to tell," Damon interrupted.

"I wasn't talking to _you_," Caroline bit out harshly.

"Sure you were," Damon smirked, suddenly wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer. Caroline's eyes narrowed for a moment as she glared at us.

"So, are you two, like, together now or something?" she asked and my eyes widened.

"What? No-"

"_Yes_-" Damon said at the same time. I turned to glare at him. "There's no need to keep us a secret _honey_," Damon teased. I knew he was just trying to get on Caroline's nerves.

"No, Caroline," I told her. "Damon and I are _not_ together. He's just annoying," I said and pulled away from his grip. He once again, grabbed my hand.

"There's no time for your teenage drama," he pointed out. "Lovely seeing you Caroline," he said and pulled me away from them. Elena had to actually run to catch up with us.

"You're an ass," I told him and he grinned.

"So you've told me," he said. "You're going to miss me though, when I leave," he pointed out and I couldn't help but nod.

"That's the worst part of it too," I told him. "That I actually _know_ that I will miss you and your awfully, sexist comments."

"I knew you liked me," he said.

"As a friend," I said, just as Elena shot us a strange look.

"I'm not even going to comment on that one," Elena said.

"Then don't," Damon snapped at her, clearly annoyed. "Steffy and I are having a moment here."

"No we're not Damon," I told him, although a small smile was still tugging on my lips. A smile flashed across his face as well, but a moment later it disappeared and was replaced by a look of determination. He wanted to get to Katherine. That was his mission and he was so close to succeeding that he didn't want to risk failure at the moment. I understood that, but for a moment, I couldn't help but be sad about it. I hadn't lied when I had told him I would miss him. Honestly, I felt as if our friendship had just begun and now he was leaving me and I was probably never going to see him again.

I didn't have time to think on that though. I needed to be top-notch for when Sheila and Bonnie would channel my powers. I just hoped that it would help.

"Are you sure that Damon will come back with them?" I heard Sheila ask, just as we arrived by the tomb.

"Brother," Damon said coolly. "Witches." His arm, which was still secured around my waist for some reason, tightened slightly.

Stefan eyed us cautiously. "Everything okay?" he asked and I nodded. Elena walked over to stand by his side.

"We just want to get this over with," she said.

I looked at Sheila, who was looking at me perplexed. Her eyes lingered on Damon's arm for a moment, but finally she looked up at me. "Are we ready?" I asked.

"Yes," Bonnie replied. Sheila walked over to the torches and lit them.

"Air. Earth. Fire," she said.

"Water," Bonnie said, handing over a bottle of water. Sheila took it from her and poured it on the ground.

"That's it? Just water from the tap?" Elena asked and I almost laughed out loud. That had been my first reaction to learning these kind of spells from Sheila.

"As opposed to what?" Sheila asked.

Elena shrugged. "I just figured maybe it'd have to be blessed or mystical or something," she said. I noticed a hint of a smirk on Sheila's face and suddenly Damon loosened his grip on me, pulling out something from inside his jacket.

"What's that?" Stefan asked and I looked at the object. It was a blood bag.

"It's for Katherine," Damon stated. "Got to have something to get her going. Unless your girl or Steffy are offering to tap a vein," he smirked, looking at me.

"No thank you," I told him, wrapping my arms around myself.

He turned back to Stefan again, a smirk still on his lips. "Admit it. You can't wait to get rid of me," he said.

Stefan slowly nodded. "I can't wait to get rid of you," he agreed.

"We're ready," Bonnie suddenly said and I turned to look at Sheila, who was looking at me warily.

"Steffy, stand over there," she said, pointing me in a certain direction, closer to Stefan and Elena. I walked over to them and looked back at the older woman.

"Is this good?" I asked and she nodded.

"Please remove your necklace," she ordered and instinctively my hand rose to the pedant.

"What?" I asked, confused.

She smiled at me. "I need something of yours..." she said, trailing off, hoping I would get what she meant. I did. She needed an item of mine to draw power from me. What would be better than the necklace I wore constantly? I hesitated only for a moment, but finally unclasped the necklace and threw it to her. She caught it with ease, which surprised me, since I hadn't expected an older woman like herself to have such reflexes.

I noticed Damon moving closer to me, looking curiously at the exchange. Soon enough, Bonnie and her grandmother started reciting a spell.

"What are they saying?" Damon asked me, now standing beside me. I felt something stirring inside of me, and this time it wasn't because of his closeness. I could literally feel them drawing power out of me.

"Sounds Latin," Stefan said, but I had barely heard him. I put a hand to my head so that I could focus.

"I don't think it's Latin," Elena speculated. A rush of adrenaline went through me and suddenly the torches flared up. "What's happening?" Elena asked and I felt myself leaning back against the wall for support just as Sheila and Bonnie stopped chanting. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You alright Steph?" Damon's voice brought me back as I opened my eyes to look at him.

"What?" I asked, confused again. I could feel my power slowly coming back to me, but I still felt weak.

"It worked," Bonnie said and I looked over at the tomb door, which had opened.

"Of course it worked," Sheila said confidently. Damon looked at me for a moment and I nodded at him to go on.

"Go get Katherine. I'll be okay," I told him. The concerned look on his face remained for a moment, until he finally stepped away from me, turning to Stefan.

"Don't you have some fires to build?" he asked and Stefan nodded.

"I'm gonna go get the gasoline," he said. "I'll be right back." Stefan walked off and Damon turned to Elena.

"You ready?" he asked her and she stared at him shocked.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm not going to go in there by myself so you can seal me in," he said. "I was planning on taking Steffy with me, but at the moment she's too weak and needs to rest," he told us, once again turning to look at me. At that moment, all I could feel was gratitude towards him. On some strange level, I now officially knew we had bonded. He was actually concerned for me, enough to not force me to come into the tomb with him.

"Don't take her in," Sheila said when Damon grabbed Elena. "I'll bring the walls down," she threatened.

"You'll bring the walls down even if I don't," Damon said. "Think I trust you?"

"As much as I trust you," Sheila said calmly.

"Enough," Elena snapped. "Both of you. Look, he needs leverage. He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door once he gets inside. I get it. I'll go." She looked at me for a moment and I nodded at her. Damon wouldn't hurt her, I just knew that.

Damon grabbed a torch from the circle. "May I?" he said, just as he pulled Elena with him into the tomb. Sheila and Bonnie walked over to me immediately and I sat down on the ground. I felt exhausted, almost as if I had performed the spell myself.

"You're going to be alright," Sheila said. She pulled something out of her pocket. An envelope. "The pictures I promised are inside," she explained and I smiled at her.

"Thank you," I said and she handed me back my necklace which I clasped around my neck.

She looked at me for a moment. "I didn't know you and Damon have bonded," she said and I looked at her strangely.

"We're friends, if that's what you mean?" I asked and she just shook her head slightly.

"No, that's not-" She didn't finish her sentence since Anna suddenly appeared.

"Hey, you're not going in there!" Bonnie said and Anna turned to look at her.

"You think you can stop me?" she asked. Just as Bonnie was about to step forward, her grandmother stopped her.

"Bonnie," she said calmly and Bonnie looked at her before finally stepping aside.

"Why did you let her go in?" Bonnie asked after Anna grabbed a flashlight and ran into the tomb.

"Because she isn't coming out, baby," her grandmother answered. "None of them are."

I snapped my head in their direction. "What?" I asked, standing up from the ground. "What do you mean they aren't coming out?" I asked, panic rising inside of me.

"Steffy, you should sit down dear," Sheila said. "You're still weak."

"Sheila," I said, my voice cold as ice. "What have you done?" I asked again.

"We opened the door, dear," she told me. "We didn't remove the seal." I stared at her for a moment before it hit me.

"The vampires can't come out, can they?" I asked, once again feeling panic inside of me.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Sheila said. "But it's for the better."

I snorted. "For the _better?_" I snapped, actually, almost snarled. "No, this is wrong on so many levels," I told them and ran towards the tomb, suddenly feeling new energy flow through me.

"Steffy don't run in there!" Sheila called after me.

I turned to look at her. "He's my friend," I told her. "I don't leave my friends behind. Find a way to remove the seal temporarily," I told them, before finally running inside.

As I ran through the tunnels, I felt how the tiredness came back slowly. I regretted not taking a flashlight or a torch with me, but now it was already too late. I could sense them all around me, the vampires, but I didn't dare to look towards the sides or walk to closely to the walls. At one moment, it almost felt as if I had stepped on a hand and I jumped as I felt the thing move, running quickly to the next tunnel. I could barely see anything, which only made my search for Damon and Elena more difficult.

Then, I heard a scream.

"Elena!" I called out, recognizing the voice, but once again everything grew quiet. I stood silently for a moment before I realized my own stupidity. I was a witch. I could create fire with my own to hands out of thin air. I clasped my necklace into my hands and silently murmured a few words that Sheila had taught me. Almost instantly, a small light appeared in front of me. It looked almost like a floating orb...

"Show me the way," I whispered and the orb started floating. I followed the light source and soon enough, I started hearing voices.

"She's not here," I heard a voice say.

"Damon." I recognized Stefan's calm tone.

"She's not here," Damon repeated.

"What?" Stefan asked just as I reached them.

"She's not here!" Damon yelled out frustrated, throwing the blood bag against the wall, making the blood splatter all across it.

"Damon, we need to get out of here," Stefan tried.

"It doesn't make sense," Damon said, in his own thoughts. "They locked her inside."

"Damon, if you two don't leave now, you won't be able to get out," I tried, walking towards them.

"How could she not be in here?" he asked, not even hearing me. He looked so distraught and I felt so sorry for him, but now was not the time for this.

"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here," Stefan said. "She's not worth it!"

"No!" Damon screamed again, pain written all over his face. I ran up to him and grabbed his face to force him to look at me.

"Damon," I said. "Please." He looked at me for a moment and swallowed down hard. He nodded once and I grabbed his hand, pulling him along with me as Stefan guided us to the exit.

Just as we got out of the tomb, the doors closed behind us. I looked at Bonnie and Sheila who looked exhausted. This time when they had performed the spell they hadn't had me to channel power from, so I was guessing that had to do with their sudden exhaustion. I just looked at them, not saying anything, but still silently thanking them for not leaving Damon down in the tomb. I felt Damon let go of my hand and saw Elena and Stefan walk off. I looked at Damon only for a moment before walking after Stefan and Elena, realizing he might need a moment to himself.

Stefan and Elena stood crouched over a person lying on the ground. When I got close enough, I noticed it was Jeremy.

"Oh my God," I said, looking at his unconscious form. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay," Stefan said, just as Jeremy groaned, starting to wake up. I noticed Damon walking out of the tomb, looking numb. I didn't hesitate when I walked up to him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry Damon," I told him. "I'm so, so sorry..."

Soon enough, he hugged me back, just as tightly.

* * *

Stefan drove me to the Boarding house after Damon left us in the woods. He had let Elena and Jeremy off at their place and I had practically had to beg him to take me with him home. I just felt like I needed to be there for Damon when he went through all of this hurt.

Damon hadn't said anything to me when he finally let go of me. He had just looked me in the eyes and then sped off into the woods in his vampire speed. Stefan had told me not to worry, since he probably would be back soon.

I walked over to the bookshelves in the living room and looked at some of the old books.

"I really don't understand this friendship the two of you have," Stefan suddenly said. I turned to look at him. He was filling up a glass of bourbon. "Damon doesn't trust easily, and yet he somehow trusted you the second he met you."

I looked at him warily. "Is this something Damon has told you, or have you simply noticed this while you've been examining us along with your colleague Elena Gilbert?" I asked sarcastically.

A small smile appeared on his lips. "It's just something I picked up on," he admitted. "Elena's suspicions, which I confess, she has shared with me, have nothing to do with it," he added.

"I don't know Stefan," I sighed. "It's like you said, for some reason we trust each other," I said. "Or at least I trust him. I think he's still hesitant when it comes to our friendship, but I don't think it has to do with me though. I think he generally has trust issues. What happened tonight is proof enough that he has reason to have them too," I said and Stefan nodded.

"Katherine betrayed him. She tricked him," he stated.

"I don't understand why she would do that though," I said. "Why would she stage her own death and then never search for the two of you if she really loved you?" I asked.

Stefan thought about it for a moment. "She never loved us, I think," he finally said. "She just used us as toys. She compelled me, yes, but for Damon it was real. Or at least in his mind it was," he said. He shook his head and took a sip from his bourbon.

"I feel sorry for him Stefan," I admitted. "I really do. I wish that I could somehow help him by taking away the pain, but there's nothing I can do."

Stefan stayed quiet for a while. "Vampires can turn it off, you know," he said. "We can turn off our emotions, make ourselves numb to the pain, not feel anything anymore, for as long as we'd like to. Damon has done that several times. I think he's just recently turned them back on again...after he met you," he said, looking at me.

I bit my lip, not really knowing how to respond. Suddenly Stefan's phone rang.

"It's Elena," he said. "I'll be right back." He sped off into the other room and I heard him pick up the phone. I heard the front door open slowly and I turned around, only to see Damon staring at me. I didn't know if he was mad that I was there, or if he was glad I was. He stared at me for a moment and I didn't say anything. He walked over to the couch and sat down, staring at the fireplace before him. I hesitated only for a moment before walking over to him and sitting down next to him. I looked at him again, but he only looked straight ahead. I sighed deeply, but stayed right there next to him. If he needed me, I would be there, I decided.

* * *

_**A/N: Oh Damon! I feel really bad for him =( well, at least Steffy's still there for him... And now with Katherine (temporarily) out of the picture and his clear (but maaaaaybe also temporary) annoyance of his brother's girlfriend, there might not be much to stand in the way for Deffy happening... Unless of course, the evil writer decided that it shoudln't happen yet... hehehe...**_

_**No, honestly, I just want them to be friends for the moment. I feel like they have finally started to "officially" trust each other as Steffy put it, and I just want to see them get more relaxed and become genuine friends first. The romance or whatever will have to wait for a while... Of course the tension will still be there though...**_

_**By the way, what did you think of letting Sheila and Bonnie use Steffy to channel power from her? And what did Sheila mean by saying that Steffy had "bonded" with Damon?**_

_**So, please tell me what you thought of the chapter! I really appreciate your thoughts and I swear I'll answer your questions from now on! Also, follow me on tumblr for any updates or sneak peaks!**_

_**Lots of love!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**Here's the link to Steffy's outfit: www. polyvore chapter_14_ fool_me _once/ set?id =75155158 (As always, just remove the spaces!)**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Hello everyone! I finally finished the new chapter, just last night, but I decided to wait and post it today since I wanted to check it once again to make sure I liked it. I think it's pretty okay but you need to tell me if I missed some grammar things or misspelled a word. Even with spellcheck, those things just keep popping up!**_

_**Also, you need to know that there will be a little posting hiatus for a while since I'm going on a vacation and I won't have access to any Internet! I will however have my computer with me and I'll be able to write some while I'm gone (IF I HAVE TIME FOR IT THAT IS)! It all depends on if I get the right motivation ;)**_

_**I've been a good girl and answered all your reviews! Thank you for those BTW. Thank you to: grapejuice101, **_**_Tvdlover87654_, _Moonlightprincess1619, aireagle92, xXbriannaXx, SomebodyWhoCares, 1llu510n and winxgirl1997! Love all of you and everyone else who has put this story on alert/favorite and me along with it!_**

**_Please enjoy the chapter that you have all deserved so very much!_**

**_Mwah!_**

* * *

_Chapter 15: A Few Good Men_

I allowed a tear to fall down my cheek as they began lowering the casket.

"In loving memory of Sheila Bennett..." I tuned out the speaker's voice, not wanting to hear anything else. I looked at Elena, who had tears in her eyes and a distant look on her face. Bonnie was standing by her grandmother's casket, holding a rose in her hand. When they had lowered it down, she threw the rose into the grave and let some tears fall down with it. My heart was aching. Both for my friend and Sheila, but also for myself.

I remembered the call I had received the morning after we had opened the tomb. Caroline told me that Bonnie's grandmother had passed away and I instantly knew what had happened. She hadn't been strong enough to handle the spell. She was older than Bonnie, so the exhaustion had been bigger on her part, especially after she hadn't had my necklace to channel power from me.

In a way, this was all my fault. That, however, wasn't the reason I felt sorry for myself too. I didn't actually have any right to feel sorry for myself, but I did in a way. Sheila had become my mentor in a way and a substitute for my real grandmother. I would miss her greatly. Another reason was that she had recently promised that she would help me find out what had happened to Adeline, my aunt who had disappeared. Before opening the tomb she had given me a couple of pictures which I still hadn't gotten around to look at.

I walked over to Bonnie together with Caroline and Elena, but Bonnie didn't speak when I told her how sorry I was. I guessed it had to do with the numbness one always felt after someone they loved passed away.

When we parted ways that day, Bonnie only told us that she would take some time off from school and stay with her family because she needed a break. Actually, she told Caroline. She didn't even look at me and Elena when she spoke, almost as if she didn't even see us there.

Aunt Liz picked me up since Caroline was meeting up with Matt at the Grill.

"I didn't know you and Sheila Bennett were so close," Liz said when I wiped away yet another tear.

"We weren't," I lied. I didn't want her to know how much time I had actually been spending with Sheila. She might suspect something... "Bonnie's my friend and I helped her clean out her grandmother's basement once. She was really nice to me," I told my aunt, who simply nodded.

"I understand that this must be hard for you too," Liz said. "It might have brought back memories of your mother's funeral... I get it."

I nodded, although inside of me, the only thing I could think of was how she really didn't get it at all.

* * *

A couple of days had passed since Sheila's funeral. Bonnie had been avoiding both me and Elena, but I had overheard Caroline talking to her on the phone once or twice. I didn't want to be annoying and ask her about it though since I figured Bonnie would eventually come around.

I sat alone in my room, writing in my diary about everything that had happened recently. I hadn't been over at the Salvatore Boarding house since after the tomb was opened. Stefan had strictly told me that it was better that I stayed away from Damon at the moment since he wasn't in his best state of mind. When _was _Damon ever in his best state of mind? I didn't want to argue though, but the separation from Damon and being ignored by Bonnie was hurting me way more than it should. I missed them both and I felt alone. Sure, I had begun spending more time with Elena, who had asked Jenna to dig out more information on her birth mother. Stefan had also been spending more time with me. He kept me updated on the whole "Damon situation" as he called it, and he also informed me of the fact that Alaric, my history teacher, was a vampire hunter.

I looked through the pictures for the fifteenth time this evening. One of them was of my father and my mother, right after they had graduated from Mystic High. High School sweethearts, who knew? The other one was of my dad and his siblings, from when they were just in preschool and others from when my aunts went to high school. One picture in particular had caught my eye. It was of my aunt Adeline and two of her friends, probably in high school too. When I had turned it around, there had been something scribbled on the back: "_Adeline, Izzie and Trudie_" it said. My aunt had been a cheerleader...

The doorbell suddenly rang and I jumped to go answer it, hoping it would be either Damon, who had come to his senses, or Stefan, to inform me that Damon had come to his senses. I was disappointed though, it was only Elena.

"Hey," she greeted me and I smiled at her.

"Hi," I said and let her in. "Have you heard anything new from Bonnie?" I asked but she shook her head.

"No, I haven't. You?" she asked.

"No."

She sighed deeply as we went to sit in the kitchen. I began making two cups of coffee for us.

"Anything new about your birth mother?" I asked and she nodded.

"Actually, yes," she said, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Her name was Isobel. Jenna made some digging and found an old picture of her and her friends In high school," she explained.

"Really? That's great! Are you going to go there and see what happened to her?" I asked and Elena let out a sigh.

"There's something else as well," she told me. "Alaric's wife's name was Isobel too. She was from a town close to Mystic Falls..."

My eyes widened as Elena trailed off. "So you think Alaric's wife might be your mother?" I asked and she shook her head.

"I hope she isn't," she replied. "His wife died a couple of years ago. Her case was never solved since they never found the body."

I bit my lip. "That's a lot to take in," I said. "I get why you hope she isn't your mother."

Elena nodded. "I talked to Stefan about it and he told me it might just be a coincidence. I just hope he's right and my birth mother really isn't dead. I don't think I could handle that," she told me and I nodded.

"Can I see the picture?" I asked and she nodded, pulling out her phone, checking through some pictures before finally handing it over to me.

"Elena..." I trailed off, staring at the familiar picture. "I have this picture upstairs," I told her.

Instantly, she was on alert. "What?" she asked and I nodded.

"This picture," I said, pointing at the phone in my hands. "It's one of the pictures Sheila gave me before we opened the tomb," I said. "That's my aunt, Adeline and her friends Izzie- I mean _Isobel_- and Trudie. Wait here," I told her and handed her the phone before running upstairs again. I ran back with the picture in my hand before showing it to Elena. She stared at it for a moment.

"So your aunt knew my biological mother?" she asked and I nodded.

"Apparently," I said, a smile playing on my lips. "My aunt went missing around the time my grandmother passed away. No one knows what happened to her, which means that she might still be alive. Your mother might just be the connection I need to find Adeline," I said and she nodded.

"If she isn't dead that is," Elena said coldly and I bit my lip again.

"We don't know if she is," I told her. "If we find this Trudie-girl, we might be able to find out more about your mom. Then, when we find her, we can ask her about my aunt too."

"Don't you think it's a little farfetched?" Elena asked me.

"Maybe, but it's _hope_ Elena," I said. "Bonnie has been ignoring us both, Damon is spiraling and Stefan is trying to keep him in check. Caroline and Matt are officially together and she's been spending a lot of time with him lately. I'm restless," I said. "I don't have anything better to do than hope."

She seemed to think about it for a while. "I guess you're right," she told me. "I actually found an old address to a Trudie Peterson in the town that Isobel lived in. She might still live there," she said.

"Then we'll visit her," I said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Stefan told me to hold off for a while," Elena said. "He told me he might be able to help..."

"Stefan is busy trying to get Damon to see that there is more to life than Katherine," I said, once again feeling the emptiness inside of because of Damon's absence. "We'll tell him what we find when we get back," I tried and she looked at me.

"_If _we find something," she said.

"I know we will," I told her. "Let me just get changed and we'll be off," I said.

"As long as we get back before tonight," she told me. "There's a raffle at the Grill tonight. We always go to watch it, it's fun."

I grinned at her. "Who knew that Elena could have fun from time to time?" I asked and she grinned back at me.

"We need a distraction, both you and I," she told me and I nodded, before finally going upstairs to get changed. I quickly pulled on a pair of skin-colored tights and a black dress. I changed into my black studded boots and grabbed my jean-jacket on the way out, along with my black bag that I quickly threw all the pictures into. I walked downstairs and saw Elena, still sitting waiting for me. I grabbed my car keys.

"I'll drive," I said and she nodded before standing up and joining me on the way out. I just hoped that this little road trip would make me forget about Bonnie, Sheila and most of all, Damon.

* * *

Elena and I didn't talk much at first. We were both on edge, thinking of what we might find when we get to Trudie's house.

"Are you sure you have the right address?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yes," Elena answered. "Grove Hill isn't exactly that far away from Mystic Falls and it isn't any bigger either," she said. "If we get lost, we'll simply ask someone."

I nodded curtly, looking at the road ahead of me. "So," I cleared my throat. "Has Stefan given you any news on Damon?"

"No, not really," Elena said. "Except for the fact that he has had some sorority girls as company for the last couple of days." Instantly, my stomach turned.

"Oh," I said, before I could stop myself.

Elena was looking at me, almost as if she was expecting me to say something else. "Are you upset about it?" she asked and I shook my head.

"Why would I be?" I asked. "Sure, it's wrong that he has them compelled or whatever, but if he doesn't kill them, why would it matter?" I was going against everything I stood for by saying this and Elena shot me a strange look.

"Are you jealous?" she blurted out and I almost hit the breaks out of shock.

"Jealous? No, why would I be?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Well, both Stefan and I know that the two of you have grown close. I was with you the whole day in Georgia and I saw how worried he got when you felt sick while Bonnie and her grandmother were doing that spell."

There it was. Now she had mentioned all three problems that I had tried to avoid by taking this trip.

Elena didn't wait for my response, but continued rambling on about how Stefan had told her how I had managed to calm down Damon after he had realized that Katherine wasn't in the tomb and how I had been there for Damon when he got home. She didn't stop talking about how obvious it was that we liked each other until my phone rang.

"Wait a sec Elena," I told her. "You can keep pestering me about Damon once I've talked to Caroline," I said harshly and she shut up instantly. I put my ear bud in my ear and answered the phone.

"_Oh my God. Oh my God!_" Caroline said on the other line.

"What's going on Caroline?" I asked and she kept repeating what she had said earlier. "If you don't tell me, I'm going to hang up," I warned her.

"_Okay, I'm sorry! I'm just panicking!_" she said and began taking deep breaths.

"What happened?" I repeated and she let out a groan.

"_Matt and I were hanging out and we started making out and getting undressed-_"

"Okay, I don't want to hear about this," I interrupted.

"_No, we didn't get that far because his MOM walked in on us!_" Caroline exclaimed, clearly embarrassed.

I couldn't help myself, but let out a low chuckle. "Really?"

"_Yes, 'really' Steph!_" Caroline said. "_This is _not _funny. This is the most embarrassing thing I've ever been through, and I've been through a lot!_"

"Well, I really don't know what to say," I told her honestly. "Maybe it's best if you just try not to think about it and move on? It might be the best thing to do."

"_Yeah, but tonight I'm selling tickets and the raffle and Matt's mom is probably going to be there..._"

"For God's sake, Caroline. Be a man!" I told her.

"_But I'm not a man Steffy! I'm an embarrassed, little girl!_" she argued back.

"No, you're a young, strong woman. You can do this. Just act as if nothing is wrong," I said. "She might have forgotten about it." We passed a sign saying '_Grove Hill_' and I looked at Elena, who nodded. "Hey, Care, I really need to go now. I'll see you at the raffle tonight okay? Just take it easy and everything will be fine."

"_Easy for you to say_," Caroline scoffed. "_I'll see you tonight then_. _Bye_," she said before hanging up. I turned to Elena, a smile on my lips.

"Matt's mom walked in them, just as they were getting hot and heavy," I told her and she let out a laugh.

"Too much information," she said, covering her ears as we laughed.

I decided it was time for me to answer her questions about Damon and me. "Elena, about Damon," I began. "We are just friends, _really_. Both you and Stefan are over-analyzing things. The two of us simply trust each other and we have an understanding. It means that we're friends, nothing more. Don't read into it too much, okay?" I asked and she looked at me for a moment before finally sighing, giving in.

"Fine," she said and I nodded.

"Now tell me the address so we can find this house," I told her as we drove into town.

* * *

We found the house only twenty minutes later and I parked on the driveway. We walked up to the front door and Elena hesitated.

"Come on," I said and stepped forward, knocking on the door. We stood there for a moment.

"I can't do this," Elena said and turned around to leave, just as the door opened, only to reveal a blonde woman with blue eyes. She looked to be about Mr. Saltzman's age.

"Trudie? Tru-Trudie Peterson?" Elena stuttered and the woman smiled at her. She looked friendly...

"Yes?" the woman asked.

"Hi," I said, stepping forward. "My name is Stephanie Blake and this is my friend Elena Gilbert," I said, introducing both of us. "We wanted to talk to you about Isobel Flemming."

Th woman- _Trudie_- smiled again. "Well, I haven't heard that name in years. How do you know her?" she asked and this time I looked at Elena, who still looked incredibly nervous.

"I think that, uhm, well..." Elena trailed off. "Do you know if she had a baby that she gave up for adoption?" she finally blurted out. Trudie's facial expression changed almost instantly as it dawned upon her.

"My God," she said. "You're her daughter." Elena finally let a small smile show and nodded. "i was just going to make some tea," Trudie said. "Would you like some?"

Elena looked at me and I nodded. "Sure," she said.

"Uhm, the kitchen's this way," Trudie said, still looking at Elena with wide eyes. She nodded in the direction and we stepped inside. Something didn't feel right here...

"I wasn't going to come. I didn't think I was, but we were driving and we hit this stoplight, and it made me think about when I was learning how to drive," Elena rambled. "And then my mom would always warn me about this blind turn on the left-hand side, and then I was thinking about my mom, and-" she stopped for a moment. "I had your address. I'm sorry for barging in like this with my friend," she finally said, getting to the point. I smiled at her. I found it kind of cute how nervous she was about the situation.

"It's no problem. Just a surprise, though," Trudie said. "I haven't thought about Isobel in years." She turned to look at me.

"Are you just company or are you wondering about Isobel as well?" she asked and I bit my lip.

"Actually, I was wondering if you remembered Adeline Blake? She was my aunt and she went to High School here," I said, taking out the picture I had in my bag. Trudie looked at it for a moment before gasping.

"Of course I remember Adeline," she said. "It feels like it's been forever..." she trailed off.

"When was the last time you saw the two of them?" Elena asked.

"Last time I saw Isobel was about 17 years ago. When she left to go have you," Trudie explained. "We kept in tough for a while, but, well...you know, people drift apart."

"What about Adeline?" I asked and Trudie turned to look at me.

"Her brother had just gotten married and she moved to Mystic Falls. It's a small town, not far from here," she said. "We kind of lost contact after that."

"And you don't know where either of them ended up?" Elena asked.

"Isobel was in Florida for a while," Trudie said. "She was on her own. I know it wasn't easy. Adeline, as I said, lived in Mystic Falls for a while," she repeated.

"Do you have any idea who my father is?" Elena asked.

"I could never get her to fess up," Trudie admitted. "Anyway, she finally pulled it together and got into college on a scholarship."

"Where did she go?" Elena asked.

"Somewhere in North Carolina... Duke, I think," Trudie said. "Actually, I think both Isobel and Adeline went to Duke together. Somewhere along the way I heard that Isobel got married and Adeline left town again. No way to know where she is today," she said thoughtfully. "Let me just grab that tea," she smiled and walked off.

I turned to look at Elena. "Something is wrong Elena," I said and she frowned at me.

"What?" she asked and I looked around, making sure that Trudie wasn't coming back too soon.

"She's hiding something," I said. "She's tense and I can feel it all around her. I've been right about these things way too many times to just ignore it."

"It's probably nothing Steffy," Elena said, trying to shrug it off.

"But it is Elena," I whispered, just as I heard footsteps again. Elena shot me a 'don't-think-too-much-about-this'-look and I rolled my eyes. At least now I knew something about my aunt. As far as I knew, the last time she had been heard of was when she went to Duke. If we could just find Isobel somewhere, she might know what happened to her.

Trudie had brought an old yearbook with her and she and Elena were having a conversation about cheerleading. I sat silently watching them as they talked. I grabbed the cup Trudie had handed me before indulging in the conversation with Elena and sniffed the tea.

"What is this?" I asked before I could stop myself. Both Elena and Trudie looked up at me.

"Oh," Trudie said. She was looking nervous. "It's just some herbal mixture."

I sniffed it again. "Vervain?" I asked and Trudie went silent. I looked at Elena with an 'I-told-you-so'-look.

Elena instantly understood. She turned to look at Trudie. "You know," she stated.

"Know what?" Trudie tried, but she wasn't convincing us anymore.

"You didn't invite us in and you're serving vervain tea," I said. "You know."

Instantly, Trudie stood up. "I think that you two should probably leave," she said nervously.

"Wait," Elena said. "What are you not telling us?"

"Please leave," Trudie said. "Now!"

Elena and I didn't hesitate even for a second when we hurried out the door and went to the car. As Elena got into the car, I felt as if we were being watched. I turned and saw a man standing in the middle of the road. Immediately, the hairs on my arms rose. I got into the car and drove off, trying not to think about the uneasy feeling.

* * *

Elena and I drove to the Boarding house because she wanted to talk to him. I decided I would go with her since I'd rather see Damon by myself than listen to another one of Stefan's "he's Damon" speeches.

"I'll check the library, you check his room," Elena said and I nodded, walking upstairs to Stefan's room.

"Stefan?" I called out.

"Better," Damon suddenly said, stepping forward. "_Me,_" he smirked, walking towards me. He was shirtless, which for some reason didn't bother me at all.

"You look, uhm..." I trailed off.

"Dashing? Gorgeous? _Irresistible_?" he asked, stepping even closer to me. I could smell the alcohol on him.

"Wrecked," I settled. "You look wrecked, Damon."

"Maybe I wouldn't have been if you had come to visit me once or twice," he argued and I bit my lip.

"Stefan told me that it would be better to stay away for a while," I said honestly.

"So what are you doing here then? Looking for Stefan?" he asked.

"Actually, Elena was looking for Stefan and I just wanted to see you. I've missed seeing you," I admitted and he smirked.

"Well, I can honestly say that I've missed talking to you too," he told me and I smiled slightly.

"So, it's like Stefan told me then," I said. "You _are _wrecked."

"No reason why," he told me, still standing close to me. Him being shirtless was starting to bother me a bit now. "Do you know that I am one of Mystic Fall's most eligible bachelors?" he asked and I raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What gave you that idea?" I mocked and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Your aunt asked me to be a part of the raffle tonight at the Grill," he explained.

"Huh," I said and he nodded.

"Yep." He stepped away from me and started walking towards the mirror.

"How are you doing, Damon?" I finally asked him.

"Never better," he said, obviously trying to hide that he was still hurt by the fact that Katherine hadn't been in the tomb. "What can I do for you? I'm a barrel of favors today," he said. "It's my newfound purpose: how can I help people?"

I let out a small chuckle. "I just drove Elena here, as I said. She wanted to see Stefan and I wanted to check up on you. We're going to the fundraiser," I said. Damon picked up a shirt and pulled it on himself and tried to button it, before failing miserably.

"Help a guy out, will you?" he said, motioning to the buttons. "Can't get this." I walked over to him and started helping him button his shirt. It was really strange how I felt some kind of warmth run through me as I touched him. My fingers brushed slightly against his chest and he felt surprisingly warm...not something one would expect after watching vampire movies and reading vampire novels. Of course, if one believed in the fictive version of supernatural creatures, I would be green with a big wart on my nose.

"So, Elena found out who her birth mother is," I told him as I buttoned his shirt.

"Ugh, who cares?" he said. "She left her. She sucks." I smiled at that. It was funny how he actually cared about Elena enough to say that...

"Actually, Elena's birth mother might be the one person in this world who knows where my aunt Adeline is. According to Sheila Bennett she might still be alive and since Sheila has passed away, my only hope of learning more about my ancestry is finding Adeline," I explained.

"Noted," he said, just as Stefan and Elena walked in. Seeing Elena's look, I instantly stepped away from Damon.

"What's going on here?" Stefan asked carefully.

"Nothing," I said. "We were just talking. Did Elena fill you in on Trudie?" I asked as Damon picked up a leather jacket, groaning slightly as he pulled it on.

"Ugh, I need a bigger jacket," he groaned. "Wow. You know, an occasional sorority girl might, uhm, you know, help fill you out a bit," he said to Stefan before walking towards the door. "Good bye Steffy," he called out, just before he disappeared out of sight.

Elena and Stefan looked at me for a moment. "He's fine," I tried.

"He's _Damon_," Stefan corrected.

"Maybe this heartache will be good for him?" Elena suggested. "It'll remind him that he has one, even if it doesn't beat." I was slightly taken aback by the harshness in her tone, but decided that it would be better not to comment on it.

"Did Elena tell you about Trudie?" I asked and Stefan nodded.

"Yeah, she did," he said.

"Great, now we just need to find Isobel and everything will be perfect," I smiled. My smile, however, faded when I saw the look on Elena's face.

"There's something else Steph;" she said. "It turns out that Isobel actually was Alaric's wife."

I stood frozen. "So she's dead?" I asked and Elena nodded. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay," she said. "I'm sad about it, but I might be able to talk to Alaric about it and see if he can tell me something about her."

"Yeah," I said numbly. "That sounds great. I need to get going though, Caroline is waiting for me at the Grill." I said, not wanting to show how upset I really was.

"I'll come with you since I don't have my car. Stefan will come around later," she said and kissed Stefan's cheek before walking off. I smiled weakly at Stefan and began walking outside as well, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"I'm sorry that you can't get any help from Isobel to find your aunt," he said and bit my lip. "Since they both went to Duke, maybe Alaric knew her too. He might be able to help you out," he tried and I smiled at him.

"It's okay Stefan," I told him. "Thank you though. I really appreciate it," I said. "I'll see you at the Grill." I gave him a short hug and then walked out of the room before he could say anything else.

* * *

"Tickets for the raffle are now on sale," Carol Lockwood announced in the microphone. "All proceeds benefit the annual Founder's Day celebration."

I rolled my eyes. "As if they don't already have enough money for that. There's always some kind of an event in this town," I said to Elena, Caroline and Matt. We had been standing by the counter where Caroline would be selling the tickets.

"In a small town like this," Elena said, "it's pretty much the only thing people can do without getting bored. At least we get to dress up," she shrugged.

"Easy for you to say Elena," Matt said. "You come from a founding family, you get invited to all events. I'm lucky if someone remembers my name."

"Do you want to trade with me?" I asked. "You can get my last name as long as I don't have to dress up anymore," I joked and Caroline smacked me on the arm.

"Steffy," she warned me. "It's fun to dress up," she told me, almost as if she was trying to teach a little kid.

"Whatever you say Care," I muttered as some women came over to but tickets. Some older women had apparently already had a bit too much to drink and started hitting on Matt, who tried to stay polite to them and not laugh at their attempts.

"He's already been hit on, like, 35 times before you two got here," Caroline told us. "He's total cougar bait."

"Impressive," Elena joked and I laughed.

"Very," I agreed.

Matt joined us in our laughter. "More like embarrassing," he said, just as a woman entered the Grill. I had never met her before, but Caroline suddenly perked up.

"Hi, Mrs. Donovan," she said sweetly. So this was Matt's mother...

The woman barely glanced at Caroline before turning over to Elena.

"Elena, honey," she said brightly.

"Hi, Kelly," Elena said and they embraced.

"Long time, no see," Kelly said.

"How are you doing?" Elena asked. I glanced at Caroline who looked upset.

"Oh, same old," Kelly said dismissively. "Oh, Matty tells me you broke his heart."

"Mom," Matt said, his tone warning.

"Just kidding," his mother said back. "Calm down. He found his rebound girl," she told Elena, who didn't smile anymore either. Suddenly she turned to Caroline again. "Oh, here you go sweetheart," she said, handing her some money. "However many that'll buy. I just hope I don't get Bachelor number 3. I dated him in high school. Not impressive in any way," she said and Caroline handed her the tickets. "Very exciting," she said and walked off without giving Caroline, or any of us a second glance.

I stood silently for a moment before finally turning to Matt. "What the hell was that?" I asked and he looked at me strangely, clearly embarrassed.

"My mom," he said.

"No offense Matt, but if she ever talks to Caroline like that again, I'll-"

"_Steffy_!" Caroline interrupted. I turned to look at her. She looked hurt, but she covered it up quickly with a small smile. "Don't worry about it. I can handle it," she told me. "Don't get involved in this."

Matt excused himself to go an clean off some tables. Elena sensed the tension growing between me and Caroline and excused herself as well to go and talk to Jenna.

"She was a total bitch to you Care," I stated and my cousin nodded.

"It's okay," she said. "She's Matt's mom. It'll just take some time for her to warm up to me. Elena and Matt were together for forever and she's just not used to me yet," she argued.

"I'm saying this again: if she ever says something like that again, I'll smack her," I said honestly.

"Please, just don't make a scene," Caroline begged and I nodded.

"As long as you don't let her walk all over you like that again," I said and walked off before Caroline could argue again.

Some time later, Damon arrived to the Grill. If he was still half intoxicated, he was hiding it rather well. It didn't show at all that he had spent most of these last few days drinking and partying with sorority girls. I saw him talking to Carol for a while before walking over to Caroline and buying a few tickets, not even exchanging that many words with her. Maybe he had finally decided to listen to me and leave her alone? I knew that Caroline was over him since she was happy with Matt and I knew that Damon had never actually cared about her.

All of the sudden, he began walking towards me. I was standing alone by the pool table, playing a game by myself while drinking some water.

"Hello Stephanie," he said, smirking as he approached me.

"Hi, Damon," I greeted, leaning back against the pool table. "What brings you over to my little corner?" I asked and he grinned at me.

"First of all, I wanted to tell you that you look really cute in that little black dress," he said. "And secondly, here," he said and handed me a bunch of papers. I looked down and noticed they were tickets.

"What is this?" I asked him.

"Tickets, for the raffle," he stated.

"And why would I need them?"

"So that you can win a date with me of course!" he exclaimed.

I watched him for a moment. "Are you still drunk?"

This comment caused him to grin even wider. "Maybe. That, however, doesn't mean that I don't know that you want to go out with me," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "What gave you that idea?" He stepped closer to me. We were barely touching, but I still felt the strange currents run through me. His breath, which smelled of both mint and bourbon (odd combination, but still), mingled with my own.

"Because every time I step closer to you, your heart races as if you've been running a marathon," he told me and trailed his finger along my jawline. "And every time I touch you, you get goosebumps," he continued. Finally, he placed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "And you just find me incredibly sexy."

I scoffed at him, trying to act as if the things he had pointed out weren't true. "Maybe it's you who finds me attractive since you constantly keep pointing out the attraction you seem to think I have for you," I said. "Or all those things you pointed out happen because I'm scared of you."

This time he scoffed. "Since when are you scared of me? Last time I checked, you've actually punched me once or twice and you constantly abuse me in every way possible," he said.

"Maybe I'm into those things," I joked and his eyes instantly brightened with mischief.

"Maybe I am too," he purred, leaning closer to me, but I gently pushed him away.

"We'll see if I win the date first, shall we?" I said and he pouted before smirking.

"I'll rig the game, just for you," he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Please don't," I said, but I couldn't contain my smile. I was actually happy that he was acting like this again. I had missed him so much these last few days. Also, if he was acting like this again, he might be getting over the fact that Katherine hadn't been in the tomb.

"Damon, Stephanie," Carol suddenly said as she approached us. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Damon you need to come with me. We're introducing the Bachelors now," she said before walking away.

Damon turned to me and smirked. "Wish me luck Steph," he said and winked at me.

"I sincerely hope you get a date with someone who's retired!" I called after him as he walked off. I believe I actually heard him chuckle before disappearing in the crowd.

I walked off to find Elena and Jenna, which I did after a while. We stood together, watching as the bachelors lined up on stage. Soon, Carol began introducing the bachelors one by one. Apparently, number three was a plumber. I wished with all of my heart that Matt's mom would get that one. As Carol was introducing Alaric, I looked at Jenna and winked. She blushed before turning away. Since the last decade dance when I had seen the two of them together, I knew she had a thing for him. He seemed to like her as well and they looked kind of cute together.

"And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore," Carol said and I instantly bit my lip to keep myself from laughing out loud. "We don't have much on you," the Mayor's wife said.

"Well, I'm tough to fit on a card," Damon said while smirking, earning a few laughs from the audience.

"Do you have any hobbies?" Carol asked. "Like to travel?"

"Oh yeah," Damon nodded. "L.A., New York. Couple of years ago, I was in North Carolina, near the Duke campus," he said. "Actually, I think–" he turned to Alaric, "I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you Ric?" Alaric looked at him with a strange look on his face. "Yeah, 'cause I know your wife did. I had a drink with her once," Damon continued smugly. Where was he going with this? "She was– she was a great girl. I ever tell you that?" he asked. "She was..._delicious_."

It took a couple of seconds for me to register what he had said. I turned to Elena, who was looking pale. Damon had killed her. Damon had killed Isobel, Elena's birth mother!

Elena got up to leave.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked concerned.

"I just need some air," Elena said numbly before walking off. I felt anger boil inside of me. He had killed Isobel, the only connection I would have had to my paternal aunt. I felt sorry for Elena too of course, but hearing that Damon had been the one to kill Isobel really made me angry... I stood there, my eyes narrowed as I glared at Damon for a moment while Carol announced the winners. Kelly got the plumber, like I had hoped. I couldn't stand it any longer, I had to get out of there as well. I began walking towards the door about the same time that Kelly went to Caroline to claim her prize.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Donovan," Caroline said.

"Okay, just stop," Kelly said harshly. "Stop trying so hard. This thing you're doing, this nice thing, it's fake. Like you," she spit out. "Like your mom. And for some reason, Matt fell for it, but that doesn't mean that I will. I don't like you, okay? So tell plumber boy-"

"Who the _hell _do you think you are?" I snapped at her as I approached her. She turned around to face me.

"I beg your pardon?" she said, clearly confused by my outburst.

"I _said_, who the hell do you think you are?" I repeated. "Do you even know who you're talking to?" I asked. "She's your son's girlfriend! And she's Caroline Forbes! She's one of the most loving and caring girls that has ever lived in this town and you should be happy that Matt's dating her instead of some _skank_ like you-"

"Steffy!" Caroline interjected before I could finish my rant.

I decided to ignore her, but Kelly narrowed her eyes at me. "Who do you think _you _are?" she asked me.

"I'm Stephanie Blake, Caroline's cousin. The girl that you completely ignored while you were gushing over Elena who broke _Matty's_ heart," I snapped. "Instead of thinking about the past, you should look forward. But of course, I suppose for someone who's over forty and trying to act like a teenager, that would be too hard for you," I said. "Stop being a _bitch _to Caroline and start behaving like the adult you really are," I snapped again. All of the sudden, the lamp on the other side of the counter, exploded. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and noticed a couple of people staring at us before I finally looked at the person who had put his hand on my shoulder. I looked into his intense blue eyes.

"Steffy," Damon said calmly. "Take it easy." He was obviously referring to the lamp that I had accidentally destroyed in anger. It wasn't my fault that my powers were fueled by anger...and other emotions.

Damon grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. "What was that all about?" he asked once we were out.

"Matt's mom was bashing Caroline, saying how she was fake and generally being a bitch to her!" I exclaimed loudly, earning a couple of stares from people walking down the streets. "Did you enjoy that by the way?" I asked, my anger at Damon burning through. "Rubbing it into Alaric Saltzman?"

"What?" Damon asked confused.

"You always do this Damon! We get close as friends and then either you do something, or something from your past turns up to ruin it!" I yelled.

"You're not making any sense!" he said. "Am I missing something here?"

"Did I forget to mention earlier when we were talking about Elena's birth mother? The one that gave her up? Her name was _Isobel_," I said and it all seemed to dawn upon him. "Go ahead, reminisce about how you killed the only connection I had to my aunt," I said before walking away to my car angrily. He didn't even try to stop me as I got in and drove home.

* * *

Approximately two hours later, I got a call from Elena. She told me that she had seen the man that we had seen outside of Trudie's house outside the Grill and that he had been compelled to kill himself after telling her to stop looking. Stefan and Elena had guessed that Isobel might have been _turned_ by Damon, which meant that she might still be alive. As I had contemplated this, the anger I had felt earlier washed away. I asked Stefan to come and pick me up so that I could talk to Damon by myself, to find out what really happened to Isobel instead of just assuming things.

We arrived at the Boarding house a bit later and walked into the house. It was awfully quiet there... Once again an awful feeling crept inside of me. We walked into the living room and I noticed Damon sitting in a chair, drinking some whiskey while watching a body that laid on the floor.

"What happened?" Stefan asked as he ran to Alaric's dead body on the floor. "What did you do?" I stood frozen, looking at my dead teacher.

"Do what?" Damon asked. "He attacked me."

"Damon!" Stefan exclaimed.

"All I did was tell him the truth," Damon defended. "His wife didn't want him anymore. It's not my fault he couldn't handle it."

I stepped forward. Tears were in my eyes, but I couldn't help but scoff. "Like you've been handling Katherine?" I asked.

"I'm handling it fine," Damon shrugged. "You know what? Isobel came to me. She found me and if she's related to Elena, that means she's related to Katherine. Maybe Katherine sent her to me," he speculated.

"Stop it!" I yelled at him. "You don't have to keep looking!"

"Can't be a coincidence Isobel sought me out. Can't," he repeated, looking at Alaric's body. "I'm assuming you'll take care of this," he said and stood up walking away. I glared at him and followed him into the hallway.

"Are you really so obsessed with a woman who clearly didn't even love you to actually go and kill innocent people?" I snapped and he turned around to face me.

"As I said, he attacked me Steffy, what was I supposed to do?"

"You weren't supposed to _kill_ him!" I yelled. "I thought you were better than this, Damon..."

In a flash he had me pressed against the wall, his hands pinning my arms above my head.

"I'm a vampire Steffy," he told me harshly. "Kill people is what we do. I thought you understood that when I killed Bree and when you found out I killed Lexi. Believe me when I tell you that I won't hesitate to kill you as well if you stand in my way," he growled.

I glared at him, suddenly feeling all warm in my fingertips.

"Ah!" he gasped when a flame suddenly shot out of my hand and caught fire on his arm. He slapped it a couple of times and managed to put it out.

"Don't you ever threaten me again, Damon," I told him. "As you know, I'm not your average type of witch. A normal witch will give you a head ache. I'll burn you _slowly_ and make sure you feel everything, up until you're about to draw your final breath and then I'll stop, allow you to heal, and if you still bother me, I'll do it all over again." His eyes widened for a moment and surprised even myself with the coldness in my voice. "Still, you're my friend and I wouldn't do that to my friends. Considering that Isobel might still be alive, I'll let this one pass," I told him.

He didn't speak at all. Instead he just stared at me, his face showing no emotion, but his eyes giving it all away. He felt both sorry for threatening me and worried because of the things I had just said. It was obvious that he hadn't been expecting them. Truthfully, I hadn't expected to say them either. All the anger I had built up during the day had finally come out and I had lashed out on both Matt's mother and Damon.

"Katherine isn't worth you," I told him. "She toyed with you and your brother and turned you against each other. She didn't love you. I just hope that you'll wake up one morning and figure that out by yourself before you get burned again," I said, finally turning on my heel and walking towards the door. "I'll see you around Damon," I said before I walked out of the house, leaving a very conflicted Damon behind.

Hopefully, I had given him something to think about.

* * *

Before I went to bed that night, Stefan called me and told me Alaric was still alive. He told me about his mysterious ring that had magically brought him back to life. Elena also called me, but only to tell me that she thought Isobel was still alive since she had called her with the phone the compelled man had dropped when he got himself killed.

Just as I laid down on my bed, I got a text message from Damon.

"_Friends?_" it said.

"**If you stop being an ass, yes.**" I wrote back. A few seconds later, I got a reply.

"_I'll be nice to you as long as you don't burn me again_," it said.

"**I guess that's good enough**_**,**_" I wrote back.

"_Sleep well, my little witch ;)_" he wrote. I actually let out a chuckle at the smiley-face.

"**Good night Damon. I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't have to kick your ass...**"

* * *

_**A/N: Soooooooo? What did you think? =)**_

_**I was actually planning on ending the chapter with Steffy leaving Damon to think about what she had said, but then I decided that I just couldn't leave it like that! I know, I'm weak, but I'm such a sucker for the two of them having a fight and then getting along again! It may seem a little odd that Steffy is just able to forgive him like that, but there is a reason why she sees past all that...**_

_**Since I won't be updating again until at least two weeks from now (also depends on how much homework I'll get while I'm away), I have a couple of questions for you:**_

_**1) What did you think of "angry Steffy"? She's always so sweet and sarcastic, so I kind of wanted to show the fierce side of her as well.**_

_**2) Steffy snapping at Kelly, what did you think? Was it justified? I felt like Steffy should stand up for Caroline! They are practically sisters now after all!**_

_**3) Did you like the chapter overall? Love it? Hate it? Tell me, please!**_

_**4) Any spelling mistakes?**_

_**5)What do you want to see next or in the future of this story?**_

_**Thank you so much for reading! Please review! It means a lot!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**P.S Follow me on Tumblr for updates! [author 123456 . tumblr . com] (remove spaces!)**_

_**Link for Steffy's outfit: www .polyvore cgi /set?id=76215242 (remove spaces!)**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Hello everyone!**_

_**Thank you for your lovely patience! I had a wonderful little vacation and now I'm back! ;)**_

_**First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed: SomebodyWhoCares, xXbriannaXx, Moonlightprincess1619, ****winxgirl1997, grapejuice101, ****aireagle92, Laura-LaLa, Tvdlover87654, 1llu510n, 1fanofthemarauders and the anonymous reviewer JJ. You're all lovely!**_

_**Also, thank you to all of those who put this story and me on favorite/alert.**_

_**Now, back to the story. I sincerely hope you'll like the chapter. I was feeling a little lovey-dovey during my holiday and this is what came out.**_

_**Another thing, before you read: I know that Alaric wasn't in this episode really, but I wanted him to be here as a part of Steffy's story! Hope that's okay!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter 16: There Goes The Neighborhood**

I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself. Since the weather seemed to be pretty good today, I had put on a pair of dark jeans and a gray and black cotton shirt. This was accompanied with my black boots and black leather jacket. I decided to put up my hair in a ponytail after several minutes of contemplating just letting it hang loosely around my shoulders. I looked alright...

Downstairs Caroline was waiting for me with a cup of coffee ready. She was wearing a combination of pink and purple which made her look cute and quirky, as usual.

She handed me my cup and took a sip of her own. "You look tired," she told me.

"I am," I shrugged.

"How come? Didn't you go to bed early last night?" she asked, taking another sip from her cup, frowning a bit.

"I did," I said. "I just couldn't fall asleep." That was only half the truth though. These last couple of nights, I had been practicing magic in secret. I hadn't actually thought much of magic since Sheila passed away, but after Damon's threat the other day, I realized I should train myself so I could protect myself against people who actually _would_ hurt me if they could. After Damon and I settled our little dispute over the texts, I had wanted to call him to ask if he thought I should practice, but then I figured he would just come with some smug, no-good-at-all reply, so I didn't. My original plan had been to call Bonnie, but I still couldn't get a hold of her. I figured she was still upset over her grandmother, so I stopped calling her as well. Instead, I started draining myself again, just like I had done before my lessons with Sheila.

My ancestors grimoarie had been very helpful with this, providing me with the spells I was looking for. The only thing was that none of them helped me in my search for my aunt or any other distant family member that might be alive. Sometimes, I simply didn't know what questions to ask. I had tried asking about Adeline, but it turns out that the book doesn't have much to say about her.

"That's funny," Caroline said. "I thought I heard you snoring when I passed your room."

"I have no idea," I laughed. "Maybe you imagined it."

We drank our coffee in silence.

"So," Caroline said, putting her cup down.

"So?" I asked and she smiled slightly at me.

"I wanted to thank you for standing up for me," she told me. "To Kelly, I mean," she explained and I nodded.

"You're my cousin Care, I'll always stand up for you," I smiled back. "Actually, you've become more like the sister I always wished I had," I told her and she grinned at me.

"You've become like a sister for me too," she said. "Although, that doesn't mean that I like the relationship you and Damon have formed," she frowned.

"Has Elena been giving you ideas again?" I asked.

"No, but I know that the two of you talk a lot and the night of Duke's party, he said that you were together, remember?" she asked and I thought about it. I had completely forgotten about it. Damon always seemed to know how to get to people.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up," I admitted.

"I figured you would explain yourself, but then Bonnie's grandmother died and you sort of distanced yourself again," Caroline said.

"Well, you should know that Damon and I are just friends..." I trailed off.

"Yeah, well, it sure looked like the two of you were getting cozy," Caroline scoffed.

"Caroline," I said warningly. "Look, I get that you don't like it. After what Damon did to you, I understand that you're upset," I sighed. "For some reason, I just feel like he's changing. Slowly, yes, but still."

She seemed to think about it for a while. "He's still an ass," she said. "But if you want to risk your mental stability, go ahead, I won't try to stop you," she told me and I smiled slightly at her strange way of giving me her approval.

"Let's go," I said, finally looking at the clock. "We need to get to school."

We stood up and walked over to the door, but Caroline stopped and turned around. "I really meant it you know," she told me.

"What?" I asked.

"That you're like a sister to me," she explained. "And that I'm grateful that you stood up for me."

I smiled at her. "Always," I told her and she smiled back before finally walking out of the house.

* * *

Caroline and I parted ways in the hallway. She wanted to go see Matt and I had seen Elena and Stefan standing by their lockers talking, so I figured I would see if something was up.

"Hey Steffy," Elena greeted me when I approached.

"Hi," I replied. "Hello Stefan," I added and he nodded at me curtly.

"Has Damon talked to you at all lately?" he asked suspiciously.

I rolled my eyes. "Why does every single conversation we have circle around Damon?" I asked, shaking my head slightly.

"He hasn't said a word to me," Stefan said, trying to ignore my question. "Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me down."

"Do you think he's still trying to find Katherine?" Elena asked worriedly, looking at me.

"Maybe, he hasn't said anything about it really," I shrugged.

"He waited a hundred and forty five years only to find out that Katherine could not care less," Stefan said. "I mean, it's got to hurt, right?"

"And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Elena said sarcastically. I tried to ignore her comment, since it for some reason bothered me more than it should.

"You have every reason to be upset with him," Stefan told her. "Have you thought any more about what you're going to do?"

"About what?" Elena asked. "Isobel, my vampire birth mother, who's related to my vampire ancestor Katherine, who screwed over your vampire brother?" she asked Stefan and I tried to suppress a chuckle. "Nah, I haven't thought about it at all," Elena finished.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Stefan said after hearing how bad the entire situation sounded. "What about you Steffy?" he asked. "Have you thought about your aunt at all?"

I nodded. "Actually, I was thinking about talking to Mr. Saltzman about her. Maybe he knew her since he knew Isobel," I said.

"That's good," Elena said. "At least one of us is able to get a hold of things and do some digging."

"I can ask him about Isobel as well," I offered, but Elena just shook her head.

"It's okay," she said. "I don't think I'm ready to hear about it," she sighed. "I'd just be nice if we could get through one day without having to deal with any of it," she said.

"I agree," I sighed.

"No vampire mother or brother," Elena continued. "Just a normal day."

"I think that normal day of yours went out the window the day you started dating a vampire, Elena," I sarcastically pointed out. "But you give it a try," I winked before telling them I had to get to class.

* * *

During lunch, Caroline texted me and told me that she, Matt, Stefan and Elena were going on a double date later tonight. I didn't really think it was a good idea, but I thought it might be better not to say anything about it.

Instead, I found myself walking to Mr. Saltzman's classroom. I knocked and he called out that I could come in.

"Steffy?" he asked confused. "We don't have any classes today, do we?"

"No, we don't," I shook my head. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else. Or rather, ask you about someone," I explained.

He looked confused for a moment. "Okay, I guess I'll try to answer you then," he said. "Ask away."

I took a deep breath. "I heard you went to Duke," I said.

"Yes, I did," he nodded, not really understanding where this was going.

"I know you met your wife there, uhm, Isobel," I said and he sat up straighter in his chair. I sat down on one of the desks in front of him. "Your wife was best friends with my aunt, Adeline Blake? I was wondering if you might have known her during college?" I asked and he thought about it for a moment.

"Adeline Blake?" he asked and I nodded. "Yes, I knew her. Or rather, we were acquaintances," he explained. He checked his watch. "I have a class in a couple of minutes and I don't think this is where we should be getting into this," he told me.

"Is there somewhere we can meet?" I asked. "I would really love to ask you some questions about her," I swallowed. "She's the only connection I have to my father and I really need to find out what happened to her."

Alaric nodded, seeming to understand what I was getting at. He scribbled down something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. "This is my address," he told me. "Come over after five and we'll take a walk or something. Then you can ask me whatever you'd like to know. I just can't promise that I'll be able to provide you with the answers you're looking for," he said but I smiled at him.

"Thank you Mr. Saltzman," I said. "It really means a lot," I told him.

"Please, call me Alaric," he said. "I'll see you later Steffy," he said just as students started filling the classroom. I walked out of there with a small smile on my face. For once, I felt like there might be a chance that I'll find out more about my aunt.

* * *

After school, I drove to the Salvatore Boarding house to see Damon. I figured I might as well tell him that Mr. Saltzman agreed to help me and maybe scold him a bit because he tried to kill him. Except for the fact that he actually did kill him, only that Alaric's ring brought him back to life. Alaric still didn't know that I knew what Stefan and Damon where, or that I knew that his wife was Elena's birth mother. Maybe I should smoothly try to mention that when we meet later.

"Damon?" I called out when I entered the house. No one seemed to be home.

"Hello," an unfamiliar voice said behind me. I whirled around and looked at the woman who had spoken. Next to her stood Anna, the vampire who had kidnapped Elena and Bonnie once.

"Who are you?" I asked, not moving from my spot.

The older woman, who was probably Anna's mother, took a step forward. "My name is Pearl," she told me. "Pray tell me what your name is..." she trailed off, turned to Anna.

"She's a Blake, Mama," Anna said. Pearl's eyes narrowed slightly before turning to me.

"A Blake?" she asked and I nodded, not even blinking.

"Yes, I am," I told her. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "You were supposed to get out of town after freeing your mother," I told Anna.

"Change of plans?" Anna offered with a smug smile. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of you," I told them and Pearl nodded, looking at me seriously.

"I don't doubt that," she said just as the front door opened. I turned around and looked at Damon, who had just entered. "Hello Damon," Pearl acknowledged. Instantly, Damon flashed to my side and protectively put his arm around my waist.

"Ever hear of knocking?" he said sarcastically.

"An invitation wasn't necessary," Pearl calmly said. "I'm surprised that no living person resides here. Is it just you and your brother?" she asked, her eyes traveling to where Damon's arm was securely wrapped around me.

"Yeah," Anna said. "How do you keep out unwelcome vampires?" she asked and Damon shrugged.

"I kill them," he said before letting go of me. He flashed forward, to Pearl, and tried to strangle her. She however, twisted his wrist and pushed him to the floor. He groaned out in pain and I ran to him to help him up.

"Have a sit, Damon," Pearl said. "I was hoping we could have a word."

"Sure," Damon panted, taking my hand. I pulled him up and he moved us (he didn't let go of my hand) towards the couch before sitting down.

"We've taken up residence at a farmhouse just outside of town," Pearl continued. "It will suffice for now."

"All 25 vampires?" I choked out, looking at Damon, who for some reason looked unfazed by this.

"Not all, some," Pearl said. "I imagine a few have already left town. Others are probably still in the woods or like us acclimating," she explained.

"How did they get out of the tomb?" I asked.

"I think the witches screwed up that part of their hocus pocus," Anna said and I felt like I wanted to choke her. It was my fault. Sheila and Bonnie couldn't finish the spell properly because I had gone looking for Damon in the tomb. Sheila had died for nothing...

"I understand from Anna that the founding families still have a secret council?" Pearl asked.

"And you're a part of it," Anna added.

"That ridiculous," Damon scoffed, but his tone gave him away.

"I've been in Mystic Falls since the comet, Damon," Anna pointed out. "I'm up to speed."

"And so am I," Pearl said. "And now that you've infiltrated the council, I'll need to know everything they know. Starting with a list containing names of all of the council members and their families," she said.

"And everyone you've supplied with vervain," Anna said.

"Yes, that will have to stop immediately," Pearl nodded.

I looked at Damon, worried because of the demands they had. Pearl seemed to be a lot stronger than Damon and I knew that Anna was at least equally as strong as him.

"What exactly are you trying to achieve?" Damon asked.

"Mystic Falls is our home, Damon," Pearl said calmly. There was something in her tone that gave me chills. "They took that from us. Our land, our home. It's time we rebuild."

"What, are you crazy?" Damon snapped. "It was 1864. Wake up woman. The world has moved on," he told her.

"As a reward for your help I'm willing to give you what you want most," Pearl said.

"I want nothing," Damon scoffed.

"Katherine," Pearl said and Damon froze next to me.

A moment later, he composed himself. "You wouldn't even know where she was. You've been under the ground for the last century and a half-" Damon began, but Pearl interrupted him.

"Katherine and I were best friends long before we came to Mystic Falls, Damon," she told him. "I know how she thinks, I know her patterns, I know where to find her."

I stayed quiet, not wanting to get involved in the conversation. I felt sick for some reason. I had hoped that this thing with Katherine was over, and yet, it never seemed to be.

"I no longer have any desire to see Katherine ever again," Damon said and I looked up at him. What had he just said? Damon got off of the couch and stood in front of Pearl. I stood up as well, afraid that he might to something bad. "and there's no way in hell I'm going to play the role of your little minion," he said spitefully.

Suddenly, Pearl got up from her seat and pushed Damon down on the couch again. Before I could react, Anna held both of my hands behind my back to hold me in place.

"I'm not asking for your help, Damon," Pearl said angrily. "Finding Katherine was just a mere gesture of kindness. The rest is non negotiable," she said. I let out a scream when she suddenly put her fingers in Damon's eyes. She pushed him down on the floor, leaving his eyes bloodied.

"I have four hundred years on you, little boy," Pearl said. "I'll rip you from limb to limb without even blinking and you know it," she said.

"Stop!" I yelled. Pearl, who almost seemed to have forgotten I was there turned around ."I'm a member of a founding family," I told her. Damon let out a groan, almost as if he was hoping I wouldn't mention that. Pearl looked at me.

"I am well aware of that fact, dear," she said sweetly. "You're a Blake, which means I will not harm you," she said, which only confused me even more. "I'll be in touch," she said before walking towards the door. Anna let go of me and I ran to Damon.

"Anna, wait!" I called out. The girl stopped and turned around to look at me. "Please, don't hurt Jeremy," I pleaded and she looked at me for a moment before looking out the door, to check if her mother was there.

"I would never," she said when she turned back and then she flashed off. Her answer threw me off for a moment and I almost forgot that Damon was still hurt.

"You okay?" I asked when I helped him up.

"Yeah, it'll heal," he groaned. "Why the hell would you tell her that you're a member of a founding family?"

I looked at him strangely. "Because I am?" I tried, but he just shook his head, groaning as he sat up.

"You don't have anything to do with the council, Steffy," he told me. "You were stupid to tell her who you were, she might come after you as well now," he told me.

"I think Anna already knew who I was, Damon," I snapped. "What difference does it make? So what if I'm not a part of the council? Pearl is obviously not interested in me anyway," I shrugged.

"But she could have been. She knows you're a witch and that's why she isn't going after you," Damon explained. "It was reckless and stupid telling her who you were," he repeated.

"Like you then!" I exclaimed. "You're both reckless and stupid for attacking a vampire who is 400 years older than you!" Damon's eyes were still bloodied and closed, but I swear, if they were open, he would probably be glaring at me by now. "I'm leaving," I told him and walked over to the door.

"What? Do you have a hot date or something?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes actually, I do," I snapped before I could stop myself. Sure, Alaric was good looking, and it was sort of a 'meet-up', but it definitively wasn't a date. Damon, however, didn't need to know that. "I hope your eyes heal quickly so you won't be so blind later on. Bye Damon," I said before finally stepping out of the house.

* * *

As I drove to Alaric's apartment, all I could think of was how the spell hadn't worked and the other 25 vampires had gotten out of the tomb. Sheila had died for nothing and it was all my fault. I sent a text to Bonnie about it, mostly because I knew she would never pick up the phone if I called her. Honestly, I knew she would probably hate me even more because of it, but I felt as if it was better that she knew so that she could keep safe.

I followed the instructions on Alaric's paper and finally found the apartment. I knocked three times before the door finally opened, only to reveal a very casual looking Alaric Saltzman.

"Hi," I said and he nodded, smiling slightly.

"Steffy, come on in," he said, opening the door further. "I'm sorry about the mess," he said as I stepped inside. "I was trying to find my old yearbook from Duke," he explained.

"I thought we were going for a walk so that you could tell me about Adeline, what made you want to stay in?" I asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Well, I figured that it might look bad if another one of my students saw me walking in the park with one of my underage students," he explained.

"So, making said underage student visit you in your apartment is supposed to be less creepy?" I laughed and a slight hint of a blush spread across his cheeks. "Don't worry Mr. Saltzman, I know you have the hots for Elena Gilbert's aunt," I winked. Once again, he blushed.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat. "We were supposed to talk about _your _aunt now, weren't we? Adeline Blake," he said, taking out a yearbook. He pointed at a picture, showing a girl in her early twenties or late teens with dark hair and dark eyes. "Adeline and I weren't exactly friends, as I told you, more like acquaintances," Alaric explained. "I used to follow Isobel around and wherever Isobel was, so was Adeline." He flipped the page, showing Adeline and Isobel standing under a tree sometime during spring. Around Adeline's neck, hung a necklace, just like mine.

"So you never actually talked to her?" I asked and Alaric shook his head.

"No, I talked to her," he said. "We were in the same class most of the time and she was very helpful when it came to copying her notes," he explained. "She helped me with my Latin homework once. Best student in foreign languages too," he told me.

I looked at the other pictures that Alaric had bookmarked, probably because his wife was on almost every last one of them. Like he said, where Isobel was, so was Adeline. "Do you know what happened to her after Duke?" I asked, turning back to look at Alaric.

"After Isobel and I started dating, the two of them kind of drifted apart. They kept in touch for a while, but then when Adeline's mother died, she moved away and stopped returning phone calls," Alaric explained. "Isobel once sent her an e-mail, hoping to hear what had become of her, but I never learned if she got a reply since she disappeared as well," he said glumly. I stared at the last picture. It was a picture of Isobel and Adeline in the library, studying. I tried to see what it was that they were reading, but all I could see were some symbols and pictures...

I looked up at Alaric. "Your wife, Isobel, she majored in something that had to do with the occult, didn't she?" I asked and he looked at me strangely.

"Yes, she did. She has always been fascinated by those things," he said carefully. "But how did you know that?" he asked.

I pointed at the books in the picture. "They are reading books about witches and vampires," I explained. "Do you really think that it's a coincidence that your wife was so interested in the occult, since her best friend was a _witch_?" I asked and Alaric stared at me with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Adeline Blake, a witch?" He let out a dry laugh. "Those are just fairytales, Steffy," he laughed.

"Yeah, just as Damon and Stefan Salvatore being vampires is one too," I sarcastically remarked.

Alaric stopped laughing and froze. "Did you really think that I don't know what they are? I spend almost every single day with them," I told him. "I also know that Damon Salvatore killed you," I muttered. "I got to the Boarding house just after you had died, and then I almost burned Damon to a crisp."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alaric said.

"What exactly did you not understand?" I asked seriously.

Alaric shook his head slightly. "What do you mean 'almost burned Damon to a crisp?'" he asked, clarifying what he meant.

"Let's just say that witchcraft runs in the family," I said, smirking slightly. He stayed quiet for a while, thinking of what I had said. "You don't believe me, do you?" I asked.

"I do," he quickly said. "It's just a lot to grasp. It was just after Isobel disappeared that I learned about the supernatural world. I just didn't know how much of it was fiction and how much was fact."

"Well, witches and vampires are certainly real. I was once also haunted by a ghost, but that's not as common as the others," I told him. "Oh, and I forgot to mention that I know that your wife was killed by Damon, or at least that's what we think. She might have been turned," I stated and he grabbed a hold of his head.

"This wasn't what I expected to hear at all today," he sighed.

"Being a part-time vampire hunter, I figured you would expect these kind of things all the time," I said and he narrowed his eyes at me slightly. "Stefan told me about your little meeting in your classroom. He said you had some pretty impressive weaponry," I told him.

"Since you know so much about me and I'm supposed to be your teacher, how are we ever going to return to normal after this conversation?" he asked. "This was supposed to be me, giving you the little information I had about your aunt, not some supernatural informational-trade-fest," he said sarcastically.

"We aren't normal Alaric," I said. "That's why we need to tell each other these things, so that we can protect others who don't know."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I saw you and Damon together at the decade dance," he pointed out. "He's dangerous Steffy," he said. "He killed-"

"We don't know if he killed her Alaric," I interrupted. "And he's not as dangerous as he makes himself out to be."

"He killed me," Alaric muttered.

"Because _you_ are just a human," I said. "You went up against him unprepared and upset. Believe me when I tell you that that is the worst thing you can ever do."

He seemed to think about it for a while before nodding.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" he asked me, going back to the conversation about my aunt.

I thought about it. "Are you going to keep the thing I told you a secret?" I finally asked.

"Yes, I will," he replied. "Who would believe me if I told them?" he said, shaking his head.

"You'd be surprised," I told him and stood up. "Thank you for your help Mr. Saltzman," I said. "I'll see you in class on Monday." He walked me to the door.

"Good bye Steffy," he said before closing the door. "Stay safe."

* * *

It was getting dark already, even though it wasn't that late yet. Halfway home I had decided that I would check on Damon to see if he was feeling better, so I drove to the Boarding house. I figured I might as well tell him what I found out about Adeline from Alaric. He might not have been able to tell me where she was today, but he had at least told me something about her.

I pulled up in the driveway and parked. It looked like as if no one was home, but I still decided to try. I opened the front door, that was unlocked as usual, and froze. In front of me, just a few meters away, stood Damon and Kelly Donovan, Matt's mother, and they were making out. I felt something boil inside of me. Her filthy legs were wrapped around him and he was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. I wanted to yell at them to stop, but knew I had no right to, so I just stood there until my anger got the better of me. A lamp above their head started flickering, almost as if it was about to explode, when the door suddenly opened again. Caroline, Matt, Elena and Stefan walked in, just as the lamp was about to blow.

"Mom?" Matt exclaimed.

"Damon?" Caroline said at approximately the same time. Damon and Kelly pulled away from each other and the older woman tried to compose herself.

"Oh my God!" she said. "Matt! Oh my God..." She trailed off, grabbing her things and walking towards the door. I wanted to punch her so bad at that moment, and I even took a step towards her when someone grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"Steffy calm down," Stefan whispered, barely audible. "Don't make a scene."

"I got to..." Matt trailed off, looking at Caroline, clearly embarrassed of his mothers behavior.

"It's fine, just go," Caroline said.

"Thanks man," Matt said and handed some keys to Stefan before leaving. I glared at Damon, who took a sip from his drink.

"Do you want to go home Steph?" Caroline asked, her tone low, sensing that something was off with me.

I didn't say anything when I nodded. I only shot Damon one last glare before walking out the door, wondering, why I felt like someone had just ripped my heart out and fed it to me.

* * *

When I got home that night, Caroline didn't even bother asking why I was so upset. It was good that she didn't, because if she did, I honestly wouldn't know what to tell her. It wasn't as if I had the right to get mad at Damon for almost sucking off Matt's mom's face. No, I told myself that I was mad because it was Matt's immature mother who had gone all cougar and hit on Damon who was- physically speaking- at least twenty years younger than her.

To relax, I got into the shower and stayed there for a while. As usual, the most wonderfully philosophical ideas turn up at that moment. Maybe this thing I was feeling was actually some sort of jealousy? No, it couldn't be! Why would I be jealous? Perhaps it's my fear of losing a friend that was acting up tonight?

As I got out of the shower, all of these thoughts were running through my mind. I barely even noticed Damon sitting on top of my bed– _barely_.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped before I could stop myself. All the anger that had washed away in the shower was now back.

Damon leaned back and took in the view in front of him. Luckily, I had put on some underwear, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before stepping out of the bathroom. My hair was wrapped up in a towel and I had put my hands on my hips.

"I figured all of your lingerie would be black," Damon said smugly, taking out one of my lacy, black bras from behind his back.

"You are so immature Damon!" I exclaimed before running at him, dropping the towel off of my head in the process. I jumped onto the bed and tried to take the bra from him, but he kept it away from me by holding onto one of my arms and keeping it out of reach with the other. After struggling for a while, I couldn't help myself; I started laughing. He threw the bra onto the floor and wrapped his arms around my waist, which suddenly made me realize our current position. I was laying on top of him, in nothing but my short PJ:s and some underwear.

"I like this," he purred, pulling me even tighter against him.

"I don't," I told him. "I'm mad at you again."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh really? How come?"

"How come?" I repeated, my own eyebrows shooting up in the process. "You exchanged saliva with Kelly Donovan!" I pointed out.

"Jealous much?" he said smugly, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Cocky much?" I snorted.

"Very much," he said shamelessly. Hadn't I heard that one from him before?

I shook my head. "You can let go of me now," I told him.

"But I like this," he whined. "I like how relaxed you are at the moment. Maybe we should stay cuddled up like this more often so you don't try to make my head explode," he suggested.

"Perhaps I enjoy making your head explode," I speculated, earning a small grin from him.

"You're hot when you're mad at me," he told me, still not letting go. I tried to wiggle free from his grip, but in less than a millisecond, he had me pinned underneath him. Our faces were mere centimeters apart. "Now tell me, what brought all this anger on?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I might have just taken out my anger on you. The person I'm really mad at is actually Kelly Donovan."

"The quarterback's mother? The one I 'exchanged saliva' with tonight?" he asked and I nodded.

"She was awful to Caroline at the raffle, as you might remember," I explained and he nodded, remembering when I had actually gotten a light bulb to explode. "Also, her type of people generally annoy the hell out of me."

"Mhm... Luckily for her, you don't use your frying powers on humans," he said and I sighed.

"Yeah, lucky her," I said. "Now, if you don't want your head to explode, I suggest you get off of me," I said. He began to move back, but suddenly stopped and pressed down again, so that he was flush against my body on the bed. He moved his lips to my neck slowly and pressed a soft kiss against it and then moved to my collarbone, kissing me there as well. "I'm still mad Damon," I told him. "You won't be able to seduce me."

He smiled against my skin. "So if you weren't mad, I might have been able to?" he asked, leaning back to look me in the eyes.

"I'm saying that if you weren't such an ass half of the time, you might have actually had a chance with a girl closer to your own age," I clarified, earning a low chuckle from him.

"Thank you for being honest," he said and got up slowly, offering me a hand to help me get up. Instead of taking it, I sat up by myself and looked at him after crossing my legs.

"Why did you come here tonight then?" I asked.

"Stefan and I were attacked by two tomb vampires," he said, sounding almost as if it wasn't such a big deal.

"What?" I asked, instantly on alert. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "As Pearl and Anna pointed out today, the house isn't protected by any living person, so it's free for vampires to come and go as they please," he explained. "Two of them got in and we managed to kill the female one, but the other escaped. We hope he told them to stay away from us in the future," he finished by clapping his hands together.

"I can help with a protective spell if you'd like me to," I offered. "I've learned how to put a spell on a house to keep vampires from entering. Or at least, I've read it somewhere," I admitted.

"No," Damon instantly replied. "I don't want you to do that. I don't want you to end up like Sheila Bennett," he said and I tilted my head sideways slightly to get a better look at him.

"Careful Damon," I told him. "You might show that you actually care," I finished and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Or you're just a useful little witch," he suggested.

"Or you care," I retorted.

"Or you're just very attractive and I enjoy looking at you when you get out of the shower," he said and I threw a pillow at him, which he of course dodged without even blinking.

"Perv," I said, but still couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Okay, I have got to get going," Damon said. "I have a body to burn, but if you want me to, I could always come back and we could cuddle some more," he suggested, but I shook my head at him.

"No thank you," I replied and he grinned at me, giving me that 'I know you want me'-look. He walked toward the window, but I stopped him by clearing my throat. "Uhm, Damon," I said and he turned to look at me.

"Yes, Stephanie," he purred.

"Lately, I've been practicing a lot of magic," I told him. "But, instead of tiring me out, I've only been growing stronger, which I find strange, because that isn't what Sheila taught me would happen if I practiced," I said and he looked at me worriedly.

"Yeah," he said. "That _is _strange. Has your magic been getting out of control?"

"Only when I'm angry, like at the raffle," I explained. He thought about it for a while. "Maybe it's nothing," I finally said, shaking my head. "It might just be a phase or something."

"Yeah, a phase or something," he agreed, but still didn't look fully convinced. I stood up and walked over to him before hugging him. This time he didn't hesitate when he hugged me back. I pulled away and leaned up, kissing him softly on the cheek. We looked at each other for yet another moment and he put that loose piece of hair behind my ear, gently stroking my cheek in the process.

"Good night," he whispered, before finally flashing off. I walked over to the open window and closed it before laying down in bed, finally feeling the tiredness of everything I had done today wash over me.

* * *

_**A/N: Soooo? What did you think? Steffy and Damon got a little physical there in the end, huh? *wink wink* There's more where that came from sweethearts! If you review, I might update sooner! ;)**_

_**This story has now officially passed 100 reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you for being so supportive!**_

_**If you have any questions, please ask. Also, tell me if there were any spelling mistakes or so so that I can fix them ;)**_

_**What was your favorite part of the chapter?**_

_**BTW, I just wanted to say that the reason why Pearl doesn't want to hurt Steffy will be explained later on, okay?**_

_**Now, please review! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**P.S. This is the link to Steffy's outfit: www. polyvore cgi /set?id= 78218749 (just remove the spaces!)**_


	18. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back to writing longer chapters again! This one is 8,608 words long! Wuhu! =D **_

_**I know I haven't had time to write back on your reviews, but I promise to make it up to you guys by replying next time you review! I simply haven't had time, with school and everything... I know... It sucks...**_

_**Also, I have already written 4,5 pages on the next chapter of MTB! :D Yay! Things are moving forward... The only thing is that I've been thinking of taking a break for a while, to write as many chapters as possible, maybe finish Season 1 all together before posting again. As I mentioned, I've had such a flow in creativity and since I've already got the major events planned out, I just need to sit down and write. The problem though, is that I have a lot of things in school, so that's messing with everything for the moment.**_

_**I hope you understand.**_

_**On another note, I want to thank grapejuice101, winxgirl1997, ****SomebodyWhoCares, xXbriannaXx, Tvdlover87654, 1llu510n, smilin steph, aireagle92, HollowAmbitions13 and "Karmen" for the lovely reviews on Chapter 16! It really means a lot that you review and tell me what you like/dislike. It helps me both develop as a writer and inspires me to write more. Also, you can always wish for things to happen, that I might just write for you, if you keep reviewing ;)**_

_**HERE'S THE OUTFIT FOR THIS CHAPTER: www . poly vore** (dot com slash here)** cgi / set? id = 79696366 **(Remove spaces and write the "dot com slash" where I said because as usual, there are problems when pasting a link...)__  
_

_**For now though, enjoy the chapter my lovlies!**_

* * *

Chapter 17: Let The Right One In

"Steffy," someone whispered. I turned around in bed, trying to get away from the person who was calling my name. "Steph... STEPHANIE!"

I jumped and turned around to face the person again. I groaned, looking at my cousin who was already dressed and ready for the day.

"What's wrong Care?" I groaned, sitting up in bed.

"Nothing's wrong Steph," she answered, looking at me almost as if I was crazy to suggest such a thing.

"Then why are you waking me up so early in the morning?" I asked, laying down again. Outside, I could hear rain pouring down. Once again, I looked over Caroline's outfit. "Are you going somewhere?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Didn't my mom tell you that I won't be in town today?"

"No, I haven't talked to your mom since..." I trailed off, realizing how long it had been since I had actually talked to my aunt. She was always working late and the only time I ever saw her was in the mornings. Since I was always busy nowadays, with Damon, Elena and Stefan, I didn't even have time to see her then. Sure, I sent her a text or two once in a while, but I really missed her. "Forever," I finished. "I haven't seen your mom in forever."

Caroline shrugged. "Well, I'm leaving to visit my dad. I'm going to celebrate his boyfriend's daughter's birthday," she stated and I frowned. "It's complicated, I know," she laughed at my expression.

"And you're going out in this weather?" I asked, hearing something that sounded like thunder rumble outside.

"Yes, I don't exactly have a choice," she explained. "But I'll stop by at the Grill first to see Matt. I'll call you when I get there, okay? Mom already left for work, so you don't have to worry about leaving her alone."

I nodded and she leaned down and kissed my cheek. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll take that spontaneous kiss as a 'see you later sis,'" I told her and she laughed.

"Do that. See you Steph," she said walking to the door. "Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"I should be telling you that!" I called after her, hearing her laugh as a response.

I laid back down in bed, trying to get back to sleep. Just as I was about to fall asleep again, my phone blared out my ringtone.

"What now?" I exclaimed, grabbing the phone to see who was calling. I frowned and picked up the phone. "Damon?" I asked.

"_Good morning Stephanie_," he said calmly. "_Are you ready for me to pick you up yet?_"

I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed again. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

He let out a chuckle. "_I'm picking you up for some 'emergency meeting' Elena and Stefan decided to call,_" he explained.

"What kind of an emergency meeting?" I asked as I got up from bed completely. I walked over to mu closet and took out a pair of dark jeans as Damon answered me.

"_Stefan told Elena about the tomb vampires getting out. They want to discuss what to do about it,_" he explained.

"Can you blame him? His girlfriend is human and looks exactly like Katherine, who the tomb vampires knew back in 1864. Of course he's going to tell her to stay safe," I said, defending Stefan.

"_Whatever Steffy_," Damon scoffed. "_Are you ready or not?_" he repeated his first question.

"When do you get here?" There was a knock on the door. "Are you serious?" I stomped over to the door and opened it, only to reveal Damon standing outside of my bedroom. I shot him an annoyed look and hung up the phone, throwing it on top of my bed.

"Hello to you too," he said as I walked back to the closet, taking out one of my green tops as well.

"Why do you always have to show up in my room?" I inquired and he grinned at me.

"Maybe I'm just trying to catch you naked?" he suggested and I scoffed, turning around to throw a teddy bear at him. He caught it with ease and winked at me.

"I'm getting dressed in the bathroom," I told him. "Either wait here and don't look through my drawers, or go downstairs and make yourself comfortable in the living room." I walked into the bathroom and locked the door before taking off my pajamas and getting dressed. I pulled on my socks and then brushed my teeth. I decided not to apply any make up other than mascara and got out of the bathroom, only to find Damon standing there, holding my jacket out for me.

"Thanks," I said as he surprised me by helping me put it on. His fingers brushed slightly against my bare shoulders and I felt small electric jolts run through me. I felt his breath against my neck and my breath seemed to catch in my throat. I turned my head sideways and tilted it up to look at him...

His hands were resting on my hips and he looked down at me with half opened eyes. I bit my lip and instantly, his eyes flashed down, probably to my lips. His grip on my hips seemed to tighten slightly.

"Uhm," I cleared my throat, ruining the moment by stepping away from him. "I just need to get my bag and put on my shoes," I mumbled, not daring to look at him. I could still feel the heat from where his hands had been, but I tried to shake away the feeling. Why did it feel so good to always have him near me?

"Ready?" he asked me, getting out of his own daze. I nodded, finally looking up at him again. He stood exactly where he had been standing before and he was looking at me curiously, almost as if seeing me for the first time.

"Yeah," I answered. He stepped closer to me and I looked down, feeling him close to me again. He forced me to look up at him by lifting my chin up with his finger. I noticed a hint of a smile on his face as he put my hair behind my ear.

"Okay," he said before leading me to his car by wrapping an arm around my waist. Once again, I couldn't think clearly because of the currents running through me.

-Deffy-

When we arrived at the Boarding house, Damon immediately went to fix a broken window in the living room. Elena and Stefan were already there and they greeted me with small smiles and hug. I could sense that Elena didn't like that Damon had offered to pick me up and Stefan wasn't happy about it either. I decided to ignore that and sat down on the couch instead, looking at Damon as he boarded up the broken window that the two vampires had obviously ruined when they had attacked them.

"I say we go to Pearl's," Damon suggested, "bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night."

"Yeah. And then what?" Stefan asked. "We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say, 'Oops. Sorry?'" he said sarcastically.

"I can't believe you made a deal with her," Elena put in.

"It was more like a helpful exchange of information," Damon defended himself. "And it's not like I had a choice. She's..." he trailed off.

"Scary?" I suggested and he nodded.

"Exactly, scary," he said. "Besides, she's going to help me get Katherine back," he said and my heart felt as if it dropped to my stomach. I thought he was over her?

"Of course she is," Elena said. "Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process" She turned, looking at me, but I kept my eyes on Damon, who for a moment looked as if he was conflicted.

"You don't have to be snarky about it," he stated, recovering instantly.

"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb," Elena said. "I've earned snarky."

"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?" Damon asked.

"However long she needs to," I told him and he looked at me.

"Oh, don't worry Steph," Elena said. "I'm not blaming Damon- I've accepted the fact that he's a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

I laughed and Damon glared at us. "Ouch," he said.

"This isn't being very productive," Stefan interjected. "We're going to figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires. Yeah?"

Damon looked at us and then walked out of the room. I looked over at Stefan and Elena who had embraced each other. I decided to follow Damon into the other room.

"Hey," I said, hurrying up to catch up to him. "So you're back on your quest to find Katherine then?"

He looked at me strangely. "I might as well be, since Pearl offered to help me find her," he answered.

"I thought you were over her." It wasn't a question. It was more of a statement.

"I am," he said. "I just want to find her, so I can tell her to go to hell." I felt a little relief wash over me.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You've loved her for 145 years. Those feelings don't just go away."

"Steffy, if you're worried about my feelings, don't worry," he said calmly. "I don't have any."

I rolled my eyes. "If you're going to pull that, at least try to sound and act convincing," I told him. "Remember that I'm a witch and I can sense that you have more feelings than you'd like to admit to having. When we first met, you were cold, yes," I said, looking at him intently. "But _now_..." I shook my head, smiling slightly. It was true too. When I had first met Damon, I felt that he didn't care about anything. Now, however, things had changed. We had both changed. We had grown and become friends, even though we sometimes still had our fights. That didn't matter much though, since we always seemed to find our way back to each other again.

Damon didn't say anything. Instead he began fixing a clock, just as Stefan walked into the room.

"Hunting party?" Damon asked, looking at Stefan. I looked at him as well. He was dressed in training clothes.

"That guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me," Stefan replied. "I've got to get my strength back up."

"I've got 2 liters of soccer mom in the fridge," Damon suggested. Both Stefan and I gave him a look. "No?"

"We'll talk when I get back?" Stefan asked and Damon nodded.

"All right," he said.

Stefan turned to look at me. "Will you be okay here? Elena left," he explained and I nodded.

"I'll be fine," I told him and he gave me a curt nod before walking out of the room.

"Give my regards to the squirrels!" Damon called after him, before turning back to me. "Stefan doesn't like that you stayed here with me," he stated and I nodded.

"I don't think Elena likes it very much either," I sighed.

He looked at me carefully. "So, are you sticking around?" He sounded hopeful for some reason.

"Yeah," I replied. "I've been wanting to talk to you about a couple of things anyway."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh? What kind of things?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before walking over to sit down on the armchair in the room. I walked over to the couch and sat down in front of him.

"Not what you're thinking, Damon," I laughed and he grinned at me.

"I could always try to change your mind. You didn't exactly seem bothered by our closeness earlier today," he said.

I bit my lip, not really knowing how to respond to that. Instead, I decided to try to change the subject. "I went to see Alaric yesterday," I blurted out and he looked at me strangely.

"You went to see Alaric? Your teacher?" he asked and I nodded. "After school?"

"Yes, Damon, after school," I said, getting annoyed by the stupid questions. At least I got his mind off of the previous topic. "I wanted to talk to him about my aunt, Adeline."

"The one who disappeared after your grandmother Lily died?" he asked and I nodded. "Did he know her?"

Once again, I nodded. "As I told you, my aunt and Elena's biological mother, who you so nicely turned into a vampire, were best friends," I explained. "Since they went to college together, I just assumed that Alaric might have known her as well. So I asked him," I said simply.

"And it turned out that he did know her? What a lovely little coincidence," Damon muttered.

"Anyway," I continued. "I found out that she moved away after he and Isobel started dating and that they lost contact."

"That's useful," Damon snorted sarcastically.

"I know it isn't much, but at least I know where she went to school and who she used to hand out with," I tried. "And that's exactly what I knew before I talked to him," I groaned, realizing it was a lost cause. I would never find out what happened to Adeline and Bonnie would probably never speak to me again after her grandmother's death. I was all on my own and my powers were already getting slightly out of control.

I grabbed my head, frustrated. "I will never find her, Damon," I told him. "She's my only hope of ever learning Blake-witchcraft!"

"Don't be so negative Steph," Damon said. "You'll find her, and if you don't, there are probably other Blake's here in the world! You can't be the last one, right? I mean sure, your family originally came from Mystic Falls, but that doesn't mean that you don't have other distant cousins or something that inherited the same powers. Am I right?" he asked and I looked ay him. Soon, I found myself nodding. He did make a good point. Sure, my _real_ family that lead down to me were almost extinct, but that doesn't mean that all Blake witches are gone.

"Thanks Damon," I said to him. "You really know how to make a girl feel better."

"I can make you feel even better," he suggested, smirking at me. I rolled my eyes at his innuendo.

"Whatever," I laughed.

We sat there together, talking. A minute turned into an hour, which soon turned into several hours later. We laughed and he told me a couple of stories from his time in New York and Los Angeles, among other cities he had visited. He told me about how he had once forced Stefan to get married to a girl, so that he could marry her sister and then kill them all to get their fortune. I didn't laugh at that story, because it really was horrible. However, I laughed at the thought of Damon being married to someone, while impersonating an Italian count.

"So yes, to answer your question," Damon began, "Stefan and I did 'hang out' a couple of times after we were turned and before we came back here to Mystic Falls. We crossed paths many times, not that he enjoyed it much, since I had vowed to make his eternity an eternity of misery."

"I still think it's funny how he just went along with marrying that girl," I said. "I still can't imagine you being married, and Stefan either for that matter. I guess it's because you still look so young!" I let out yet another laugh, just as thunder rumbled outside. My eyes flashed to the broken window that Damon had fixed and something inside of me began stirring.

"What time is it?" I asked suddenly. Damon looked at the clock he had fixed.

"It's five o'clock," he answered and I looked to the window again.

"When did Stefan leave?"

Damon looked at the clock again, as if counting the hours. "Almost three hours ago..." he mumbled. The hairs on my arms rose. Something was off. "Shouldn't he have been back by now?"

"Yes, he should."

There was something in Damon's tone, that made him sound worried. Simultaneously, we took out our phones. "I'll call Stefan," I said.

"I'll try Elena," Damon told me.

We started calling, and my worry grew when I was sent straight through to voice-mail.

"He's not picking up," I said.

"Elena either," Damon said.

"Maybe their together and don't want to be disturbed?" I suggested.

Damon shot me a skeptical look. "Is that what your witch-senses are telling you?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No," I admitted. "They're telling me that something is awfully wrong."

Damon nodded. "Let's stop by at Elena's before we go searching for him," he said and I nodded as we made out way out of the house.

I sincerely hoped that we would find Stefan there.

-Deffy-

On our way over to Elena's, Damon called her several times. I wanted to suggest that I called her instead, but seeing his genuinely worried expression stopped me from doing so. I was surprised that he would show such worry, since he most of the time tried to cover up the fact that he did have feelings.

As we walked up to the house, he tried calling Elena one last time before knocking. Elena answered the door and Damon walked in without even asking to be invited.

"You're ignoring me," Damon pointed out bluntly.

Elena looked at me for a second before turning to look at Damon. "The six missed calls? Sorry. My phone is dead," she said sarcastically. If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed.

"Is Stefan here?" I asked and she looked at me confused.

"No. Why?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

"He went out in the woods and didn't come back," Damon said.

"I can't get him on his phone," I told her. "So we figured he was here with you."

Elena picked up her phone and dialed Stefan's number. "It's going straight to voice-mail," she told us. "Where could he be?" she asked, looking at me and Damon with concern.

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking," Damon said, looking out the window at the storm that was still rumbling. I looked out as well, knowing very well what he was thinking.

-Deffy-

Elena and I sat in Damon's car, waiting for him while he checked for Stefan at Pearl's house. I had decided to sit in the backseat with Elena, to keep her company. Currently, I was holding her hand, squeezing every once in a while to assure her that everything would be all right.

"It's okay, Elena," I said. "If Stefan is there, we'll get him out of there."

She nodded a little. "Yeah, if he's not mad at me for calling him a psychopath," she said.

"Elena, Stefan is still Damon's baby brother," I reminded her. "Even if Damon tries to act as if he doesn't care, he does. You should have seen him when he realized that Stefan was missing," I told her.

"You stayed with Damon the entire day after I left," she said, not sounding surprised. It hadn't been a question either, but I decided to reply to it as if it was.

"Yes, I did," I said. "Like I said, even though you, Stefan, Caroline and everyone else don't understand it, he and I are friends. I know that he'll help save Stefan if there's something wrong," I smiled. "I actually think it's kind of cute how he still looks out for him, even though they are supposed to hate each other. They both still care deeply for each other."

"I know," Elena said. "They're brothers after all."

"Yeah," I nodded. "Brothers."

I looked out the window, finally seeing Damon approaching. I didn't even say anything to Elena as I got out of the car. He sped to me, surprising me by embracing me for a brief moment. I hugged him back and then released him.

"What happened? Where is he?" I asked, the rain soaking me through.

"They have him," Damon said. "I can't get in." He sounded frustrated as he spoke. Elena got out of the car, standing next to me.

"Why not?" she asked and Damon turned to look at her.

"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in," he told her.

"I can get in," she said and I smacked her arm.

"You're not going in there!" I told her. "If anyone is going in there, it's me," I said. "I'm a witch and I can protect myself better than you Elena and since Damon can't get in, I'm the next best option."

Damon looked at me strangely. "You're not going in there, Steffy!" he said loudly over the rain that was crashing down over us.

"I'm the next best option, Damon!" I yelled over the rain.

"No!" he yelled back at me, stepping closer to me, while putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Why are they doing this?" Elena asked, interrupting our little dispute. "What do they want with him?" she asked Damon, who turned to look at her.

"Revenge," he said. "They want revenge."

"We have got to do something," Elena said and he nodded.

"I know," he said.

"We can't let them hurt him, Damon," I told him and he turned back to me. "We need to get him out of there."

"I know, Steph," Damon said. "I know. But I don't know how to get him out."

I thought about it for a moment. Damon's hands were still on my shoulders, and they were kind of comforting. However, that wasn't what I was thinking of at the moment. I was trying to figure out a way to get Stefan out.

"Mr. Saltzman!" I suddenly exclaimed. "He's a vampire hunter! We can talk to him!" I said, a smile finally covering my face. I put my hands over Damon's. "We can talk to him and ask him to help us."

Damon didn't look convinced, but finally nodded. I turned over to look at Elena, who was looking at us desperately. "We'll get him out Elena," I said. "We'll get him out."

-Deffy-

Damon, Elena and I walked through the hallways in school, trying to get to Mr. Saltzman's office. We were hoping that he was still here. Suddenly, Damon blurred forward and we stopped walking when we saw our teacher standing in front of us.

"Well, don't you look...alive?" Damon said, smirking at Alaric.

"You can't hurt me," Alaric responded.

"Oh, I can hurt you, alright," Damon replied.

"Mr. Saltzman," Elena said, interrupting them and turning our teacher's attention to us.

"We need your help," I said and he looked at me. He nodded and led us to his classroom so that we could talk.

We explained the situation and Alaric listened intently to what we had to say.

"Stefan's in the house and Damon's a vampire, so he can't get in," Elena explained.

"We need you," I told him. "I would go, but-"

"But your life is valuable," Damon interrupted. "Elena's too, but yours on the other hand is-" he began saying to Alaric, but Elena interrupted him this time.

"Stefan told us about your ring," she said.

"What about it?" Alaric asked.

"Let me recap," Damon interjected. "You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?" he asked and Alaric glared at him.

"Yeah," he said. "The part where I try to kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss," he said, stepping forward. As a reflex, I put my hands up and both Damon and Alaric froze in place.

"Stop acting so childish," I snapped at them.

"Mr. Saltzman," Elena said, stepping forward. I released my hold on both of them, sensing that Alaric had calmed down slightly. "Please. It's Stefan," she begged.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Alaric said. "But it's not my problem."

"That's a shame," Damon said. "Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife." I looked at Damon. Where was he going with this?

"You're lying," Alaric spat out.

"Am I?" Damon asked. "Why don't you ask her yourself? Coward," he said. "Come on, girls," he said, taking my hand, leading me out of the classroom. Elena followed us.  
"Alright!" Alaric suddenly exclaimed. "Wait, I'll go." I looked up at Damon, who looked down at me, smirking. He winked at me, letting me know that his plan to manipulate Alaric had worked perfectly. I knew it was wrong of him to manipulate people, but it was Stefan we were talking of here. We needed to help him, no matter what we had to do in order to do it.

Alaric told us to wait in the classroom as he went to fetch some things. He returned with an arsenal of vampire weapons. I stared at them with wide eyes.

"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night," Damon whistled, clearly trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

"I've got you to thank for that," Alaric pointed out bitterly.

"What are these?" Elena asked, pointing at a couple of dart-looking things, obviously trying to avoid a fight between Damon and Alaric.

"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain," Alaric explained. I was actually impressed. Where the hell did he get these things?

"Just get me in," Damon said. "I'll get Stefan out."

"That's your plan?" I asked.

"You're just going to take them all on yourself?" Elena continued. I looked at Damon sceptically. A feeling inside of me was burning. I didn't want him to go in all by himself. He could get captured, or even worse; killed.

"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully," Damon tried while looking at me for support. I still wasn't convinced. I looked at the darts and picked one up.

"Whoa," Alaric exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going with you," I told them.

Damon looked at me angrily. "No, you're not."

"Yes, she is," Elena said. "And so am I!"

I looked at Elena and shook my head. "No Elena, you could get hurt. Damon's a vampire, Alaric has that fancy ring of his and I'm a witch. We can protect ourselves, you can't," I tried, but seeing the look on her face, I knew I wasn't successful in convincing her.

"No," Damon said sternly. "No. No. No. No way."

"You can't keep me from coming with you Damon," I exclaimed. "Stefan may be your brother, but he's my friend as well! I could put a spell on the house or something. I can _help!_" I was getting frustrated.

"I'll get in," Elena piped up. "You three could distract them, and then I'll get Stefan out."

Her efforts were of no use. "You'll both get yourself killed," Damon snarled. "You're not going in there."

"I'm going!" Elena and I simultaneously exclaimed.

"So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can," Damon told Alaric, completely ignoring us. "I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in the way."

"Damon, now is not the time to be the lone ranger," Elena sighed.

"Fine. Elena, you can drive the getaway car," he snapped. "You're not going in the house."

"What about Steffy?" Elena asked. "We can't both drive at the same time, now, can we?" she sarcastically pointed out.

"You'll babysit her to make sure she doesn't do something _stupid_," Damon said, smirking at me while he said it.

"Stop belittling me!" I yelled at him. "You can't stop me from going in there!"

"Oh, I'll stop you all right," he growled. "Even if I have to tie you up to do it."

"It's Stefan we're talking about here," Elena said. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand," Damon snapped, turning back to her. It was first when he looked away that I noticed how close we had gotten. His nose had practically been touching mine. "I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it," Damon finished.

"Can you just not joke around for 2 seconds?" I frowned and he turned back to face me.

"I can't protect you, Steffy," he said. "And I can't protect Elena either. I don't know how many vampires there are in there," He snapped his fingers. "That's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety," he told me. "Or this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from... Including Stefan," he said, turning to his head to look at Elena. "I know. I get it. I understand."

Elena sighed, nodding her head silently, giving in. I continued glaring at Damon though.

"Fine," I snapped. "If you don't want my help, then fine. I'll stay and keep Elena safe."

I crossed my arms over my chest, and Damon finally looked satisfied.

"If we're going to go," Alaric interrupted, "let's go." Elena walked out of the classroom first and Damon held out his hand for me to follow her. I snorted at him, and glanced at him as I passed. I understood that he was worried about our safety, but I was still mad.

-Deffy-

Elena and I sat in the car together, waiting for Damon, Stefan and Alaric to come back. I was worried, and they hadn't even been gone for longer than twenty minutes yet.

"Damon cares about you," Elena suddenly said, interrupting the silence that had filled the car since the boys left us.

"What?"

She turned to look at me. "He _cares _about you," she repeated.

I frowned at her. "We're friends," I said, before she started speculating wildly.

"Yeah, I know," she said. "I just meant that I always thought it was kind of one-sided on your part. That only you cared about him, I mean," she clarified. "But obviously, he cares enough not to let you put yourself in danger."

I thought about what she said for a moment. Yes, Damon had actually surprised me with his little speech that finally convinced both Elena and me to stay behind. It was nice to know that he actually cared enough to protect us both.

"It doesn't matter, Elena," I told her finally. "The fact that he cares, means something, yes. But he still wouldn't let me come along, even though I could have protected them both with spells and such."

Elena watched me carefully. "Speaking of spells... Is everything okay with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

She shrugged. "I know that Sheila was your teacher and now that Bonnie isn't speaking to us, I figured you don't have anyone to practice with. I get that it might be frustrating to handle everything alone, especially since you can't exactly tell Caroline about it."

Her mention of my cousin, made me automatically pull out my phone from my pocket. No messages from Caroline, and no missed calls either. I hoped she was fine...

"I've been practicing on my own," I explained to Elena. "I've been growing stronger too. Damon knows that, so that's why I'm mad at him."

Thunder rumbled outside and Elena pulled out a vervain syringe from her purse, examining it closely.

"I'm mad too, but maybe it really is his way of protecting us?" she suggested.

"Maybe..." I mumbled, thinking about it. "Elena, I don't really-"

_Crash! _

"Oh my God!" Elena gasped, looking at the tree branch that had just fallen onto the windshield. I looked at the branch with wide eyes.

"Elena, we need to get out of the car," I whispered. The storm was getting bigger by the second and we weren't safe inside the car. That branch could have been an entire tree. If we were outside, I could at least sense when mother nature tried to punish us, and stop the trees from falling on us.

Elena immediately took of her seat belt and got out of the car. I followed her instantly, taking my bag with me.

"What now?" Elena asked and I looked around.

"Damon and Alaric went that way," I said, pointing. "There's no point in staying here now. We might as well go join them, or at least look out for them... Elena!" I called, when Elena suddenly sprinted in the direction I had pointed. She was heading towards the cabin on her own! I ran after her, mumbling protective spells around us as I went. Soon, I caught up to her and stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" I snapped.

"You said so yourself," she said over the storm. "There's no point just staying by the car, so we might as well help Damon and Alaric save Stefan!"

"Elena, I wasn't being serious. Damon told me to stay there and protect you," I tried, but there was no point. Elena's face fell and I instantly felt bad for her. "Okay, fine. We'll go," I gave in. "We'll find Stefan, Alaric and Damon and then get out of there before the vampires get us."

"Yes," she agreed and we kept walking.

Soon, we approached the little house that Pearl and the others resided in. It was the only house in the woods where the vampires could go unnoticed, so we simply assumed that we had come to the right house.

We jumped onto the porch, staying close to the wall to keep ourselves hidden. I bit my lip, slowly looking around the corner.

"Billy, Jacob, get back in there!" a voice called and I jumped back. I looked at Elena, who looked scared for a moment. I pointed at a staircase that lead down to the cellar and she nodded. Quickly, we ran past the door and down the staircase. I tried opening the door, but it was locked. I bit my lip and turned around, busting one of the windowpanes with my elbow. After unlocking the door, I dragged Elena with me into a hallway. I motioned for her to stay quiet by putting a finger to my lips.

Slowly, I looked around the corner, but quickly stepped back, seeing a man standing guard by

a door at the end of the hallway. I slowly reached into Elena's bag. She looked at me confused as I pulled up the vervain syringe, preparing myself to attack. I listened closely, hearing the man stand up.

The man groaned, and I looked around the corner, seeing Damon standing above him. I stepped out and Damon glared at me.

"Are you insane?" he snapped.

"There's no time to argue, Damon," I whisper-yelled. "That vampire was standing guard, which means that Stefan is in that room!" I tried walking past him, but he grabbed my wrist, pulling me to him instead.

"We'll talk about this later," he growled. I raised my eyebrows at him. Why was he sounding so over-protective?  
"If we get out of here alive," I whispered, pulling my wrist from his grip. I walked to the door and opened it, not really caring if any other vampires where inside. Elena followed and Damon stepped inside as well.

"Elena... Steffy... You shouldn't be here," Stefan mumbled. I looked at him and gasped. He was hung up by ropes and he was cut across the chest.

"They were supposed to stay in the car," Damon said as he approached the dark-skinned vampire that was sitting tied in a chair in front of Stefan.

"Ugh! No. No. No," Stefan said. "Not him," he groaned as Damon held the stake above the vampire.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, turning back to Stefan. "Let's get you down."

"There's vervain on the ropes," Stefan informed us. I winced, seeing the burn marks over his wrists.

"Steffy," Damon said, turning to me. "Pull that," he told me, motioning to a rope holder. I ran forward and pulled the wet rope. Soon enough, Stefan fell forward, moaning in pain. Damon caught swiftly.

"All right, let's go," Damon said. "Clothes on." He flashed over to me, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. Elena ran toward Stefan, covering him with a hoodie.

"Wait," Stefan groaned.

"What?" Damon asked angrily, turning around. "Guys, come on. We have to get out of here."

I looked at Elena and Stefan as they pulled the stakes out of the vampire's legs.

"Come on, we gotta go," Damon tried again as Stefan grunted.

"The other one," Stefan instructed and Elena pulled out the other stake. Damon kept pulling me into the hallway and soon enough, Stefan and Elena were after us. Damon looked around, making sure no one had heard us.

"Can you two get him to the car?" he asked us, but he turned to look at me.

"Yes," I nodded and he looked at me carefully.

"All right," he said. "Go."

He began walking away, but I stopped him by grabbing his arm. "What about you?"

"You two rescue, I'll distract," he clarified. "Go," he said again before I let go of him. I walked over to Elena, trying to get my mind off of Damon for just a second. I grabbed Stefan on one side and she grabbed him on the other.

Somehow, we managed to get out of the cellar unnoticed. We walked through the woods as quickly as possible, but we weren't fast enough, since we were carrying Stefan.

"Uhh..." Stefan moaned again.

"Can you make it?" Elena asked, just before we all fell down. Elena winced as she cut herself on a rock.

"You okay?" Stefan asked, sounding worried. I looked at Elena, who nodded at me, confirming that she was fine.

"Yeah, come on," she said. "Keep going. Come on." We pulled Stefan up again and continued onwards.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the car.

"Come on, it's right over here," I told Elena and Stefan. Elena and I managed to get Stefan inside. I ran to the driver's side and got in. Elena got into the front passenger seat, but something was wrong.

"The ignition is missing!" I gasped, just as the window on Stefan's side was busted out. Elena let out a shriek, as one of the vampires dragged Stefan outside and began beating him. I quickly got out of the car, ready to defend Stefan.

"This is for Beth-Anne," the vampire yelled as he stabbed Stefan with a branch. Stefan yelled out in pain.

"And this is for the tomb," the vampire continued, putting a stake close to Stefan's heart.

"No!" Elena yelled. Without thinking, I ran forward, plunging the vervain syringe into the vampire's back. He grunted and fell down, unconscious. Elena ran to Stefan, who was laying on his back on the ground.

"Stefan..." she whispered, pulling out the branch. "Stefan... Stefan... No, Stefan!" She kept repeating his name as he seemed to fall deeper into unconsciousness. "Steffy, do something!" she yelled, crying as she tried to shake Stefan awake.

I stood frozen, not knowing what to do. I tried to think of any spell that might help us, but there was no point. I had felt it when I attacked the vampire with the vervain syringe; my powers didn't work. I had tried to conjure up a spell to protect Stefan from the vampire, but I had been completely blocked. It was probably because my emotions were everywhere and I couldn't focus on anything because I didn't know where to start.

I heard some movement. I turned to look at the vampire, who was slowly waking up.

"Stefan, get up," Elena tried once again, before stopping completely. She looked at her hand, which she had cut earlier and then looked at me. Before I could stop her, she put it against Stefan's lips.

"Here," she said.

"Elena," Stefan groaned. "Take Steffy and run..."

"No," she said sternly.

"Please..."

"Stefan. My wrist," Elena kept urging. "Take my wrist. You need more blood." Once again Stefan tried to get us to run, but Elena stayed. "No, I trust you." She tried giving him her wrist again and this time, he only hesitated for a moment before finally drinking her blood. In an instant, something inside of me felt off. I watched as Stefan fed from Elena, sensing that she shouldn't have given him her blood.

The vampire regained his strength and stood up, grabbing another branch, walking towards Stefan and Elena.

"Watch out!" I yelled, when Stefan suddenly stood up, grabbing the vampire's hand. He pinned the vampire to a tree and took the branch from his hand, repeatedly stabbing him in the heart. It was gruesome, seeing Stefan so violent.

"Stefan," I said calmly, stepping toward him. Elena moved closer as well. "Stefan!" I tried to stop him by pulling at him, when he suddenly whipped around, his face still in vampire form. Both Elena and I gasped, taking a step back from him. Stefan stopped and looked at us, horrified.

"Get to the car," I told Elena, looking carefully at Stefan, who still seemed to be in a daze. "I need to go find Damon," I told them before sprinting off to the house again.

It felt like a miracle when I once again managed to get in through the cellar. I walked up the stairs that Damon had walked upstairs on and soon found myself inside the house. Just as I walked through the hallway, someone grabbed me from behind. I turned around, not really sure how to defend myself, when I was met by a pair of familiar, blue eyes.

"Damon," I let out, before embracing him tightly.

"What the hell, Steffy!" he yelled at me. "Why can't you just listen to me _once_?"

"We got Stefan to the car, but we were attacked. They are fine now, but I couldn't leave without making sure that you and Alaric were safe as well," I rambled and he looked at me strangely. I turned around, hearing knocking on the door.

"The vampires," Damon explained, still holding onto me. "You shouldn't have come back."

My eyes went to Alaric, who was looking at us strangely.

"If we die..." Damon began, but I stopped him.

"Shut up," I said, stepping away from him. I put my hands together and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on the house. If I could just put a protective spell on it, not letting the vampires in...

"Stop!" a female voice called outside. I opened my eyes. "What's going on here?" Pearl asked as she stepped inside, followed by Anna. They looked over the staked vampires that were laying everywhere in the room. "What did you do?" she asked Damon, looking upset.

"Me?" Damon asked, stepping closer to me again. "Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother," he told her.

Pearl looked shocked by the revelation. "Trust me," she said. "The parties responsible for this will be dealt with."

"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them," Damon informed her.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Pearl said, obviously still not understanding how it did.

"Well, it did," Damon curtly replied. "If I had a good side... Not a way to get on it," he told her. He put an arm around my waist and pulled me outside. Alaric immediately followed us as we walked back to the car, where Elena and Stefan were waiting.

-Deffy-

After Alaric dropped me off at home, I decided to take a shower. I was already soaked through by the rain and figured that some hot water might help me relax. In the shower, I tried a simple water spell and found that my powers had returned to me. I confirmed my suspicions, by asking my grimoarie about it and a few entries made by some Blake-witches during the 1400's proved that if I wasn't emotionally stable, my powers wouldn't be stable either. This was obviously something that I needed to work on.

My phone began buzzing and I picked it up after seeing Caroline's name on it.

"Hi Care, did you get to your dad safely?"

"_Steph,_" Caroline cried. "_Something awful has happened._"

Instantly, I was on alert again. "What? Has there been an accident?"

"_No, but I was in the woods and... I found Matt's sister, Vicki_."

I frowned. "What? You're not making any sense, Care," I said, trying to figure out what she was telling me.

"_She's dead, Steph. I found her body and called my mom. She's talking to Matt's mom right now,_" Caroline explained. My breath was knocked out of my lungs.

"How's Matt?" I asked.

"_Not good. I called Elena too, she should be here any minute_," Caroline said.

"It will get better, Care," I tried. "I'll wait for you until you get home, okay?"

"_Yeah... Bye for now,_" she said.

"Bye." I hung up and turned around, only to find Damon, once again sitting on top of my bed.

"I need to change the locks," I said, attempting a joke, but the look on his face told me he was here to talk about something serious.

"Tonight, you were very reckless," he told me sternly.

"I did what I had to do," I told him. "I couldn't leave without making sure you and Alaric were okay."

"Well, it was still a stupid thing to do," he said. "I gave you strict orders to stay with Elena in the car."

"It wasn't safe in the car! A tree could have crushed us completely if we would have stayed there!" I exclaimed.

Damon stood up and began walking towards me. "Don't try to justify your stupid actions, Steffy," he growled. "You got out of the car because you wanted to help me and Alaric, even though you knew we were perfectly capable of handling it ourselves."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I saw that when I found you locked up inside the hallway as the other vampires were banging on the door," I remarked. "Damon, please," I sighed. "I know it was stupid, but I just couldn't sit around knowing that you might get hurt," I said. "And Alaric too," I added, realizing my mistake of completely ignoring the fact that my teacher had been in danger as well tonight. "Let's just put this behind us and move on."

He contemplated it for a few seconds. "Fine. But next time, you'll listen to me when I tell you not to do something, okay?" he asked and I nodded. We both knew that it wouldn't be that easy. I would always try to help, even if he tries to stop me.

"Caroline just called," I said, deciding that it was better to change the subject.

"Why should that interest me?" he asked, walking closer to me, putting a piece of hair behind my ear. His hands rested on my shoulders as he inspected me, almost as if he was checking if I was hurt.

"They found Matt's sister's body in the woods," I told him and he froze.

"Vicki Donovan?" he asked and I nodded, remembering the name that Caroline had told me.

"Yes, why?" I asked. "Did you know her?"

He let out a dry laugh. "I should, since I turned her."

His words made me catch my breath. "You were the one who killed her?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I turned her, she went crazy and attacked both Jeremy and Elena, so Stefan staked her, killing her permanently," he explained.

"Attacked Jeremy and Elena? Does Jeremy know about vampires then?" I gasped, but Damon shook his head.

"No, I compelled him to forget. Elena asked me to since he didn't handle seeing his girlfriend get killed by his sister's boyfriend," he informed me.

"Can you blame him?" I asked. "I wouldn't have dealt with it very well either..."

"You're stronger than you look, Steffy," Damon said. "If you could endure the nightmares you had, the loss of your mother and still manage to set me on fire and threaten to make my brain burst, you're capable of a lot of things, especially witnessing death." His words made me sound strong, but I knew I was not.

"I'm not as strong as you think, Damon," I said. "Tonight my powers acted up. I couldn't protect Stefan from the vampire that attacked him because my powers shut down completely. I was thinking of multiple things at once, not knowing what to do first, so I blocked myself," I explained.

"Are you sure that's what happened?" he asked thoughtfully, and I nodded.

"I read about it when I got home on the grimoarie," I said and he nodded once. "I'll work on it."

"_We'll_ work on it," he corrected me. "We're actually very good at working together, when we're not fighting."

I laughed at that. "I guess we are..." I trailed off, once again thinking about Vicki Donovan. Damon had turned her and Stefan had killed her. However bad I felt for Matt, I knew that at least Stefan's part was justified. He had protected Elena and Jeremy, because Vicki had lost control. Damon's part in Vicki's death though, I just didn't want to think of. It wouldn't surprise me if he had just killed her out of boredom, but I decided it was better not to ask. We were currently on good grounds and what happened in the past, was supposed to be left there. Since I had met Damon, he had changed a lot, not just towards me, but towards Stefan as well. Tonight, he proved that he still actually cared about Stefan, no matter how much he still tried to deny it. I respected that and I was happy that he was slowly finding his way...

"I'll be staying up waiting for Caroline," I said after clearing my throat. "My aunt probably won't be home until morning."

"Is that an invitation?" he asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I laughed and smacked his arm lightly.

"Not that kind of invitation," I laughed. "I'm just saying that if you want to stick around for an hour or two, I could show you a couple of spells I've learned."

"Okay, I'll stay for an hour, but I need to head back home and check on Stefan," he said thoughtfully.

The mention of his brother awakened that awful feeling in my stomach again. "Speaking of Stefan... Elena fed him her blood tonight," I said and Damon nodded.

"I'm well aware of that fact," he said.

"Something didn't feel right about it though... It's not just about Stefan's diet," I explained. "But there was something in his eyes when he killed that vampire tonight."

"What?"

I inhaled sharply. "Bloodlust." I looked at Damon, who looked back at me. For a moment, we just stared at each other. Silently, we both seemed to agree that we would keep our eyes on Stefan, before finally sitting down on my bed, to look through my grimoarie. The awful feeling in my stomach, however, kept resurfacing every time I thought of Stefan.

Yes. We would certainly need to keep our eyes on him. At least until we were sure that he was fine again...

* * *

_**A/N: Steffy is (as always) sensing that something is off... Hmmm... What do you think of that?**_

_**Here are some questions that you can answer while reviewing (if you'd like, no pressure):**_

_**1) What did you think of the chapter as a whole? **_

_**2) What did you think of the Deffy moments? Too much, or not enough or just enough?**_

_**3) What do you think will happen next?**_

_**4) Do you want me to take a break and write as much as possible and then come back and post a chapter once a week or do you have any other suggestions?**_

_**5) Do you love me? HAHAHAHA, I'm just kidding! ^^**_

_**Okay, so now that I've got that settled... How about a little sneak peak from the Chapter I'm currently writing on? ;)**_

_**Here you go:**_

* * *

_Sneak Peak: Chapter 18, Under Control_

_"Hey, I don't know why you came here today, but if you want to be nice to me, you could give me a ride to school," I said, turning around to look him in the eyes. "I mean, since we're friends and all."_

_"I'd rather be **bad**," he said, taking a step closer to me. "Also, why do you assume that I drove here?" he asked. "I got in through the window," he stated._

_I raised my eyebrows, looking at him. "First of all, as I mentioned before, you got in through the window because you wanted to get into my room to see me in my PJ's. There is another reason for that as well, and that is the fact that you didn't want Caroline to see you. Secondly, my aunt left for work at four in the morning, which you probably knew since she considers you an ally," I said as-a-matter-of-factly. "And last, but not least, your keys are in your pocket," I pointed out, patting his shoulder lightly. I walked away from him and grabbed my bag, looking at him over my shoulder._

_"Caroline's not here. She left to visit her dad," I informed him, pulling my jacket on while smirking at him. "So," I said, "how about that ride?"_

_It only took a few seconds for him to smirk back at me, as I grinned in victory._

* * *

**_Now, I hope that inspires you guys to write a little review =)_**

**_Really hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading and I'll go through the reviews on the old chapter to see if anyone had any questions that I can answer ;)_**

**_Lots of love,_**

**_Spicy_**


	19. Chapter 18

_**Hello everyone! I finished this chapter last Wednesday, but then half of it was erased because of bug issues with my computer, and I just didn't feel like writing it all over again... But then I read your lovely reviews, and I knew I couldn't disappoint you! =)**_

_**The chapter didn't turn out exactly as I had planned originally, but I hope you'll like it anyway! ;)**_

_**This chapter consists of 10,079 words! The next one, will be HUGE, so it will probably have a lot more... ;)**_

_**Special thanks to: Tvdlover87654, 1llu510n, SomebodyWhoCares, winxgirl1997, grapejuice101, Yessi-love1619 and the two guests, Karmen and XxxBrEnDaxxX.**_

_**Reply to XxxBrEnDaxxX: Thank you! I'm really glad you like the story so much! =D**_

_**Reply to Karmen: I'll take that into consideration. The thing is that my chapters don't usually end with huge cliffhangers, so I just never felt the need to repeat the last couple of sentences before the next chapter. However, if I ever end with an open cliffhanger in the future, I will repeat myself. =) Thank you for your suggestion!**_

_**Now, Please enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!**_

_**P.S. My spell-check isn't working for some reason, so please ignore minor mistakes and then just point them out in a review so I can fix them later on! =) **_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Under Control**

"You need to stop doing this," I told Damon, while picking out my clothes for the day. "You can't keep showing up every morning to wake me up, just so you can catch a glimpse of me in my PJ's."

Damon shrugged casually, not even trying to deny it. "Just because I'm a hot vampire, doesn't mean that I'm not also a guy," he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes. Early this morning, around half past six, I was woken up by a knocking on my window. I was still half-asleep when I managed to get over to the window and open it, only to have Damon walk in. After asking him what he was doing here, and not having him give me serious answers, I decided to just go back to sleep. When I woke up half an hour later, he was still in my bedroom, sitting in an armchair, curiously looking at me.

"It's amazing how quickly you fell asleep," he said.

"Well, you kept acting like an ass and I just didn't have time to listen to you," I simply replied, even though it hadn't really been a question. "I need to get enough rest, otherwise I won't be able to stay awake in school. Especially since I've been busy running after tomb vampires with you and Elena," I explained as I walked out of the bathroom, after getting dressed.

"No one invited you to come with me," he scoffed.

"Oh please, Damon," I retorted. "It wasn't as if I could just let you handle everything alone with Alaric. I mean, you're not the best...handler..." I trailed off, looking at myself in the mirror. In a flash, Damon was behind me. I looked him in the eyes in the mirror, straightening out my blouse. For a few seconds, he looked back at me, but then, he faltered and looked away.

"Is something wrong," I frowned, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. He was hiding something. It was so obvious, the way he first looked away and was not intently staring at me, trying to cover up the fact that he couldn't look me in the eyes.

"Okay," I replied. I wouldn't push him to tell me, since he would probably sooner or later tell me anyway. It wasn't as if he could hide it forever. All I had to do, was wait him out. "Hey, I don't know why you came here today, but if you want to be nice to me, you could give me a ride to school," I said, turning around to look him in the eyes. "I mean, since we're friends and all."

"I'd rather be _bad_," he said, taking a step closer to me. "Also, why do you assume that I drove here?" he asked. "I got in through the window," he stated.

I raised my eyebrows, looking at him. "First of all, as I mentioned before, you got in through the window because you wanted to get into my room to see me in my PJ's. There is another reason for that as well, and that is the fact that you didn't want Caroline to see you. Secondly, my aunt left for work at four in the morning, which you probably knew since she considers you an ally," I said as-a-matter-of-factly. "And last, but not least, your keys are in your pocket," I pointed out, patting his shoulder lightly. I walked away from him and grabbed my bag, looking at him over my shoulder.

"Caroline's not here. She left to visit her dad," I informed him, pulling my jacket on while smirking at him. "So," I said, "how about that ride?"

It only took a few seconds for him to smirk back at me, as I grinned in victory.

-Deffy-

I got to school a little early, since I originally hadn't planned for someone to drive me. I had wanted to get some fresh air and walk, but I figured since Damon was already there, trying to bother me, I might as well take advantage.

As I walked through the hallway, I saw Elena and Matt standing by Matt's locker.

"He said his trip is open ended," Elena scoffed as I approached.

"Who said so?" I asked, standing next to both of them.

"Hi Steph," Elena greeted me.

"Hey," I said back. "Matt, how are you doing?" I asked, hugging him.

He shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess."

"I'm here if you need me," I told him and he nodded.

"Thanks, Steph."

I smiled at him sadly. "So, who said that their trip was open ended?" I asked, deciding that it was better to go back to the original topic.

"Uncle John," Matt explained. "I never liked that guy," he told Elena.

I frowned. "Your uncle?" I asked Matt, but he shook his head.

"Nope, Elena's," he said, turning to look at her.

"No one likes him," Elena explained.

"I'm here for moral support if you need me," Matt offered.

"Thanks," Elena smiled. "I think I'll suffer this one alone; you've been through enough."

"Thank you by the way," Matt said to Elena. "For just... For everything you did at Vicki's funeral and the memorial. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Of course Matt," Elena said, as they looked at each other for a long moment.

"So, is Caroline still baking for you guys, around the clock?" Elena asked Matt. This was when I decided to join in again.

"Actually, she went to visit her dad," I said and Elena nodded.

"Which is a good thing, because my mom was going to strangle her if she dropped off one more lasagna," he said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, it's her way of showing that she cares," I told him. "And I'm still on Caroline's side when it comes to your mom, no matter how sorry I might feel for her."

He nodded understandingly before closing his locker. "Of course, she's your cousin," he said. "but I need to get to class now. See you guys later, okay?" he said before hurrying away.

"So your uncle," I said to Elena and she groaned.

"Please, don't remind me," she said. "He's such an ass and everyone knows it."

"Can't wait to meet him then," I laughed as she continued explaining why she didn't like him very much and how he had just showed up unannounced this morning. I listened to her sympathetically, realizing that I was already annoyed by this "uncle John" character that I hadn't even been personally introduced to yet.

"Anyway," Elena said. "I have other things to think about. Like Jeremy, and the fact that his latest history report was about _vampires _in Mystic Falls," she explained.

"What?" I froze. "Why would he write about vampires?"

"I don't know," Elena shrugged. "I'm scared he might start remembering what happened with Vicki Donovan... I don't know if Stefan told you but-"

"Damon told me," I interrupted. "I know what happened."

"Oh," she said, looking surprised by this. "Still, it doesn't even matter anymore because we can't go back in time," she sighed. Her statement made me think about everything that had happened since I arrived in Mystic Falls. My nightmares, the revelation of vampires and me being a witch...

"Maybe you should just talk to Jeremy?" I suggested.

"Yeah, I'm scared that he might suspect something," she muttered.

"Try keeping a straight face," I tried. "Or talk to Stefan about it. He might know what to do."

"You're right," she admitted. "I'll talk to him after school." We walked toward class together. "By the way, Steph, you haven't visited us for a while. Maybe you should stop by later since Caroline isn't at home?" Elena smiled. "I think Jeremy's missing you more than he admits to."

"So you don't miss me?" I laughed.

"I miss not dealing with vampires every time we hang out," she smiled. "Maybe we should meet tonight at Founder's Hall? For the Kick off party?"

"The one that Caroline mentioned before she left?" I asked.

"Yes," she nodded.

"I don't know if I'm going," I said, biting my lip.

"Of course you're coming," Elena said. "You're a member of two founding families!"

"I still don't know," I said. "We'll see. I'll call you, okay?" She nodded silently before we walked into the classroom.

-Deffy-

After school I went home, did my homework and then tried to read a bit in my grimoarie. Unfortunately, someone interrupted me by ringing my doorbell. I walked downstairs, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

"Mrs. Lockwood?" I asked confused, after opening the door. The older woman smiled at me sweetly, before frowning when she took in my outfit. Instantly, I pulled my hair out of the messy bun I had done earlier. It was something about the look the Mayor's wife gave me that made me want to be more... _proper_. "What are you doing here?"

"Stephanie," she smiled at me. "I talked to Liz earlier today and asked her if you would be joining us for the kick-off party tonight. She said something about you not being sure whether you should attend or not."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if I would fit in," I smiled back, but something in her eyes told me that I was wrong to say that.

"That's no valid argument for not coming," she said. "You're a Blake _and _you have Forbes blood in you. Of course you'll fit in."

"I'm not used to parties," I tried but she shook her head.

"I am personally inviting you to the kick-off, meaning that you have no choice but to accept," she smiled. I was about to protest, but she put up her hand to stop me from talking. "I suggest you wear something suitable for a young lady like yourself." She looked over my outfit again. "And you're young, bring a date."

"Wait, what?" I asked, when she turned around to walk away. "You're _telling me _to bring a date?" I asked bewildered.

"Yes, I am," she said. "Liz is a friend and she told me that she hasn't seen you with any other kids except for Elena Gilbert and Caroline. You should get to know other people in town, especially since you count as a member of not one, but _two _founding families."

"You're not making any sense to me," I said bluntly and she walked back up on the porch.

"Stephanie, look," she began. "I came to your house to invite you personally, since I knew that Caroline wouldn't be here to push you and I knew that Liz wouldn't force you to do anything you don't want to. Telling you to bring a date, is just a bonus for _you_. See it as someone who will keep you company throughout the night if you get bored." Once again, she smiled, but this time, it was forced. I was clearly getting on her nerves.

"And who do you suggest I bring?" I asked. "It's not like I have a boyfriend."

She kept smiling. "Maybe you could simply ask one of your friends," she suggested, way too sweetly, before walking away. This time, I didn't stop her.

My phone starting ringing as I watched her drive away.

"Hello?" I answered. "Elena?"

-Deffy-

"Thank God you got here so quickly," Elena said as we walked into her room.

"Of course," I said. "You seemed worried about something." I looked over at a corner where a broken lamp stood. Just as I was about to ask what happened with it, the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Elena frowned.

I bit my lip. "I kind of invited Damon," I sheepishly admitted.

"You did _what_?" she asked.

"You seemed so worried and I thought he might be able to help!"

"Whatever," she sighed. "Just go let him in. He might actually be able to help."

"Okay," I said and hurried downstairs. I opened the door and let Damon inside. He looked over my sweats that I still hadn't changed out of an whistled.

"Please, no comments on how you'd like to get me out of the sweats, even though they fit me perfectly," I said.

He stared at me for a moment. "I wasn't going to say anything," he tried, but I rolled my eyes at him.

"Please, I know you, Damon," I snorted. "But it's good that you're here," I admitted.

"You ask, I come," he smirked. "I'm easy like that." I hushed him and pointed at Jeremy, who was eating in the kitchen. I motioned for him to come upstairs with me.

"No Steffy, I will not go to Elena's bedroom with you," he said loudly. I caught his arm and pulled him upstairs as he laughed.

"Stop messing around," I told him as we entered Elena's room. He laid down on Elena's bed and grabbed a teddy bear with him.

"Why don't you join me on Elena's bed, Steph?" he suggested shamelessly.

"Damon," I warned him, looking apologetically at Elena.

"It's okay..." she muttered, even though she glared at him, annoyed.

"Did you know that your uncle has been kicking it with the Founder's Council?" Damon asked Elena.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Yep."

"Perfect," Elena said. "We'll just add it to the growing list of how everything is falling apart."

"Wait, what's falling apart?" I asked, seeing Damon's eyes drift off to the broken lamp.

"What happened, right there?" he asked, pointing at the lamp.

"Uh...nothing," Elena answered, looking uncomfortable. "look, you guys, I'm worried about Stefan," she admitted. "He says that everything's okay, but he's clearly struggling. How long do you think it's going to take before he goes back to normal?" she asked Damon.

"A few days. Give or take," he replied.

"It's been a few days," I pointed out.

"Give then," Damon said. "I don't know. What's the big deal?" He got up from the bed and handed me the teddy bear, which I looked at before putting it back on the bed.

"He's not himself, Damon," Elena said.

"Well, maybe his problem is that he has spent too long not being himself?" he suggested, stepping towards me, playing with a piece of my hair.

I pushed his hand away. "Please don't make me regret calling you," I groaned and he smirked, turning back to Elena.

"It is what it is, Elena," he told her. "The Stefan you both know was 'good behavior Stefan', 'reign it in Stefan', 'fight against nature into an annoying excessive level Stefan' but if you think there isn't another part to this, then you have not been paying attention," he told us.

"He's not you, not even close," Elena said, trying to defend Stefan.

"Well, he doesn't want to be me," Damon pointed out. "What doesn't mean that deep down he's not."

I looked at the two of them for a moment. "Look, I'm really sorry, but I have to go. You guys seem to have this conversation under control," I told them. "I'll see you tonight, Elena. Bye Damon," I said before they had the chance to stop me from walking out of the room.

-Deffy-

I looked through my closet for something to wear at the kick-off party tonight. Since Mrs. Lockwood had shown up at my door to invite me, she hadn't exactly given me any choice in the matter (like she had said).

"I hate this," I muttered to myself, throwing yet another dress on the floor.

"How come?" a voice behind me asked.

"Damon!" I gasped, quickly wrapping the robe I was wearing around myself tighter. It had been opened and the only thing I had been wearing were my underwear.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he winked, probably thinking of the time he had found me in the bathtub after I fell and fainted.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. He was already wearing a suit, ready for the party tonight.

"I came to see if you would pay me a compliment or two for looking sexy in a suit," he winked.

"Please," I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I turned back to look at the various dresses that Caroline had bought me once on our shopping-trip.

"You coming tonight?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah..."

"And you hate it because...?"

I turned around to face him again. "Mrs. Lockwood personally invited me and is forcing me to bring a date," I replied angrily. "The only problem is that I haven't had time to look for someone to go with me."

"I could be your date," he suggested and I stared at him.

"Are you seriously offering to be my date for the kick-off party tonight?" I asked, slightly shocked.

"Am I not good enough?" he asked playfully and I laughed.

"It's not that, it's just that people will ask questions. I mean, you're older than me and my aunt will be there..." I trailed off.

"Are you embarrassed over our friendship?" he sarcastically asked.

"No, but-"

"So then we'll just 'come out' as friends," he interrupted. "If Carol Lockwood is forcing you to bring a date, you might as well agree to go with me, as _friends. _Besides, I'm not _that_ much older than you... Physically," he added, seeing my reluctant expression.

"Okay," I accepted. "As long as you don't try to pull any stunts, I'll agree to be your date."

"Actually, you should be asking me," Damon pointed out.

"Seriously?" I groaned.

He looked at me smugly. "Ask Steffy. It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Fine," I rolled my eyes again. "Damon, will you please be my date for tonight?"

"I accept," he said. "See, it wasn't that hard, was it?" The smug expression on his face just annoyed me even more. He could be such a child sometimes...

"Since you're already dressed for the party, I can meet you there instead. I still haven't picked out a dress," I explained.

"Remember that black is my favorite color," he said as he began walking out of the room. He blew me a kiss and I shook my head at him, laughing at his juvenile behavior. After he walked out of the room, I turned to look at my closet again. A certain dress caught my eye...

"Black..." I chuckled, as I picked it up and held it against me, nodding to myself.

-Deffy-

I walked slowly towards Founder's Hall, careful not to trip over any small branches that still hadn't been cleaned up after the storm. I was wearing a black, tight fitting dress that went to my lower thigh, a few inches above my knees. It featured a sweetheart neckline and a criss-cross bandage design at the bodice and had a square cut-out in the back. After Damon had pointed out that his favorite color was black, I had remembered the dress that Caroline had bought me once when we had shopped together. I accompanied the dress with a pair of strappy sandals and a black clutch with a silver colored detail made up of clear rhinestones. My make-up was simple, I had decided to do make my eyes smokey and my lips were painted in hot pink lipstick, even though it was closer to red than pink. My hair was naturally waved and pulled to the side in what had begun as a braid, but then simply let the tresses of hair fall down my shoulder. I was actually happy with how I looked, and I hoped that Mrs. Lockwood would think so too.

Liz had called me and told me that she would show up later, since she had a few last things to do at work. I had already prepared her dress for her, and I think Caroline would be very pleased with my choice. I sent her a picture of my own outfit, and she agreed that I had succeeded with looking both hot, and sophisticated at the same time.

I had texted Damon a couple of minutes ago to tell him that I was on my way. He replied, telling me that he would wait for me at the entrance of the party along with Stefan.

"We are who we are Stefan," I heard Damon say as I approached the entrance. "Nothing's going to change that."

"Ah! Nothing will make you happier than to just see me given in, huh, Damon?" Stefan retorted.

"Whatever," Damon said. "It's inevitable."

"Well, I'm gonna find Elena," Stefan said before walking off.

"Don't embarrass me young man!" Damon jokingly called after him.

"I sincerely hope he does," I laughed as I approached him. Damon turned around at the sound of my voice, and looked a little frozen for a moment. I shrugged slightly. "So, what do you think?" I asked, twirling once.

"I think you took my advice and dressed in the color I wanted you to dress in," he answered smugly, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. "You dressed up for me."

"You sound flattered," I told him. "You shouldn't be. You just reminded me of the dress when you said you liked to color black- which I don't even think is a color- and I put it on to please Mrs. Lockwood, who otherwise might have hounded me for not dressing up," I explained.

He rolled his eyes at me as he offered me his arm, which I gladly took. "Let me guess," he said, "you wanted to wear jeans and sneakers?"

"You know me so well, Damon," I laughed as we made our way inside.

"By the way," he said as he led me towards the bar. "If I haven't made myself clear yet, you look absolutely stunning tonight," he told me.

I could feel a slight blush creep up my face as I smiled, giving him a look. "You look quite dashing yourself," I grinned at him.

As we walked towards the bar, I waved slightly at Mrs. Lockwood, who was looking slightly shocked at who I had brought as a date. Of course she would look surprised. Up until now, no one except for my closest friends, and those who knew the secret of the supernatural beings in town, knew about my friendship with Damon. I noticed a few people whispering as we passed them.

"What are they saying?" I whispered to Damon, knowing that he could hear them perfectly, since he was grinning widely.

"First of all, they're asking themselves what our age-difference is," he whispered back. "Secondly, some are asking themselves why they haven't tried setting us up with one of their own," he winked.

I pushed him playfully, but the look he gave me, only made me laugh. "You're really funny, Damon," I said sarcastically.

"I like your laugh," he told me.

"Haven't you already told me that once before?"

"Maybe, but it's true," he shrugged. He went to pour me a drink, but I stopped him.

"I don't drink, remember?" I said and he put the glass away.

"Right," he said, picking up a new one, filling it with sparkling water. I wanted to tell him that I hated sparkling water as well, but I just didn't have the heart to do that to him.

I took a small sip and tried not to cringe as the bubbles hit my tongue. God, it was _lemon_ flavored too... Maybe if I discretely walked by a plant, I could get rid of it? I mean, it always worked in the movies, didn't it?

"Do you want water from the tap instead, Steph?" Damon asked, interrupting my internal battles.

Once again, I laughed. "How did you know?" I asked, when he took the glass from my hand, filling up a new one with fresh, natural water instead.

"You were trying to keep a straight face, but your emotions were everywhere for a moment," he explained. "It was obvious that you didn't like it."

"You could sense my emotions?" I asked and he shrugged as a reply. "Tell me, Damon!" I demanded, suddenly intrigued by this new revelation.

"I can't sense your emotions really," he tried. "It's actually more of a... Uhm, how do I put it?" He thought about it for a moment. "It's like a vampire's 6th sense. The predator inside of us are supposed to know what our prey is feeling to anticipate their next move. It makes hunting much easier if you know whether the animal is up for a fight or if it wants to run," he said, taking a sip from his bourbon.

"But you don't hunt animals," I pointed out.

He smirked. "True, but it's almost the same thing with humans. Except for the fact that they don't show those emotions until I reveal myself as a vampire," he said in a hushed tone.

"But, last time I checked, I wasn't exactly one of your preys," I said back, in an equal tone.

His eyes seemed to sparkle at my statement, almost as if he for a moment wished I actually was his prey. "The thing with you Steph," he began, "is that you wear your emotions on a sleeve. At least when I'm near you."

"Oh yeah?" I scoffed, taking a step back, refusing to believe what he was saying.

"As any other witch, you're hard for me to read when it comes to emotions, but you let go when I'm near because you know that you can trust me," he told me, taking a step closer.

"Can I?" I asked. "Can I really? You've proven multiple times that you're willing to do anything to get things to go your way. What proof do you have that you won't just throw away our friendship the second you get a better offer?"

Once again, he took a step closer. He put his drink down and took my glass of water from me, putting it down as well. Slowly, he sneaked an arm around my waist, leading me out on the dance floor before putting a hand on my waist and grabbing my one hand with the other. My other hand went to his shoulder as he slowly began swaying us to the soft music. We were probably the only people dancing at the moment, but I couldn't care less. I was still waiting for an answer from him.

"Steffy," he said calmly. "_You _have proven multiple times that I _can_ trust you. No matter what you might think, I value our friendship. I would never betray you."

Something inside of me fluttered. Was it a butterfly? He slowly dipped me, before pulling me back up. "I'm flattered," I told him. "You're telling me that you will come to visit me when I'm gray and old, and come to my funeral, once I'm dead?" I asked before I could stop myself. He stopped leading the dance and stared at me puzzled for a moment. He seemed to contemplate what I had said.

"You don't have to die..." he mumbled, but I shook my head.

"Never mind," I said. "It was a stupid question." I let go of him and cleared my throat. "I think I saw Matt and his mom earlier, " I told him. "I need to pay my respects, even though I don't particularly like her very much." I walked off, leaving Damon on the dance floor alone. When I turned around the corner, I noticed that he walked off towards the bar again and I was glad that he had gotten out of his daze.

I always knew how to ruin a moment. We had been having fun and genuinely speaking of our friendship, until I went and brought up the fact that I would one day die. His words, _"You don't have to die"_, echoed in my head as I walked into someone.

"I'm so sorry," I said, looking up at the woman standing in front of me. "Kelly," I breathed, realizing I had walked straight into Matt's mom. "I heard about your daughter," I told her. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

The woman nodded, looking at me strangely. "What? Aren't I a vindictive bitch or something?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper at the raffle," I said, even though I wasn't really. However, I did feel bad for the woman. Her daughter had just been found. She had been murdered by the very man that Kelly had almost gotten into bed with a couple of nights ago.

"I see you and Damon Salvatore came here together tonight," she pointed out, looking at me from top to toe. "I'm impressed that you managed to rope him in."

"We came here as friends," I nervously said, rubbing my arm awkwardly.

"And you're walking out of here as the townspeople's new gossip," she said coldly.

I looked at her for a while. "I'm not getting into this. Especially not with _you_ of all people," I said before walking off towards the main room again.

I stomped up to Damon and sat down next to him.

"I can't stand that woman," I sighed and he looked at me amused.

"You were the one who wanted to go and pay your respects," he pointed out wittily.

"Now I wish I hadn't," I simply said. I looked at him and noticed that he was looking over my shoulder at someone. "What?" I asked, turning around, trying to see whomever it was that he was looking at.

"Your aunt's here," he pointed out, just as I singled her out in the crowd. "Let's go say hello," he said, taking my hand, pulling me along towards Liz.

"You know I love a woman in uniform, but I have to side with this one," Damon said as we approached her. "You look... You look _smashing_," he told her, giving her a charming smile.

"Thank you, Damon," she laughed. Her eyes traveled down. I instantly pulled my hand away from Damon's grip, realizing he had been holding it all along.

"Hey Aunt Liz," I said, hugging her. "You really do look amazing," I told her.

"Cheers!" Liz said, lifting her glass slightly. "I needed that." She looked at us warily. "So, are you two here together?"

"Yes," Damon and I said at the same time. He smirked smugly at me, and I could tell he was going to try to pull off that 'we've-been-dating-in-secret'-scheme he always had going on.

"Mrs. Lockwood practically forced me to bring a date tonight and I asked Damon, since he's a really good friend of mine," I explained before he had the chance to butt in.

Liz nodded, even though she didn't seem fully convinced. "Damon, would you mind if I had a little chat with Steffy?" she asked politely.

Damon shook his head. "Not at all," he said, taking my hand before raising it to his lips. "Ladies," he excused himself before walking off. For a second, I stared at my hand, where his lips had just been, before turning to Liz.

"Everything okay?" I asked and she nodded.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you and Damon?" she asked and I nodded.

"I'm sure Aunt Liz," I told her. "Everyone keeps asking me this, inquiring that there is something else going on, but there really isn't. We're _just_ friends."

"You could have brought anyone of your friends along as a date and you chose Damon?" Was this an interrogation?

"Matt's sister was just found dead," I pointed out. "I don't think it would have been very appropriate of me to ask him to come to a party with me. Had I known that he would be here anyway, I would have asked him, I can assure you of that."

"What about Jeremy? I think Caroline mentioned something about you and him..."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Jeremy had a thing for Vicki Donovan, so I don't think it would have been appropriate either."

My aunt looked at me before sighing. "I'm sorry for asking you so many questions, Steffy," she said. "It's just that I know I work a lot and we hardly ever see each other since I'm always at work. I feel like we haven't talked in forever and I want to know what's going on in your life. I mean, it's embarrassing that I didn't even know that you and Damon are friends, considering I see him almost every day," she said.

"What?" I asked, trying to act oblivious. "Why would you see Damon every day?" I asked her, already knowing the answer. It had to do with the Council.

"Oh, just around town, you know," she said, trying to cover up the fact that she had slipped up.

"Okay." I decided not to push it since it would be better this way. If she actually told me about the Council, I would feel obliged to tell her about me being a witch. At the moment, it didn't seem like the best idea though, so it would probably be better to just keep my mouth shut. "I have to go now though," I smiled. "I don't want anyone to steal my date away from me," I joked and Liz actually cracked a smile before nodding at me.

As I walked towards the bar, where I figured I would find Damon, someone grabbed my hand and twirled me around before pulling me against him.

"Hey," I said, looking up into Damon's intense, blue eyes. "You could have given me a heads up."

"Before sweeping you off of your feet? What would be the fun in that?" he asked. "Especially since almost everyone we know has acknowledged the thick sexual tension between us."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you listened to the conversation," I sighed.

"You know I'm just a man, Steffy," he told me. "A handsome, incredibly sexy man, but still, a man. And we men are a curious species."

"Not to mention when you put a little vampire in the mix as well, I'm guessing," I said and he nodded, letting out a low chuckle.

"Just makes me _extra_ curious."

I laughed as he twirled me around again. "You aren't exactly helping me tell them that we're nothing but friends," I smiled.

"It's not as if the tension is one sided," he murmured, pulling me closer to him.

"I don't feel any kind of tension," I said, trying to sound oblivious. He smirked as he put his lips against my neck, softly kissing me there.

"Still not feeling anything?" he asked as my breath hitched. His lips were still close to my neck, but they weren't touching me.

"No," I managed to get out, even though it was just a mere whisper. Damon slowly pulled back and looked me in the eyes. I blinked once. He was looking at me curiously, his smirk gone. I didn't understand what was happening, but the next thing I knew, he was slowly leaning in. My eyes fluttered shut-

-just as someone cleared their throat. My eyes snapped open at the sound and I turned to look at the person who had interrupted us.

"Hey, Steffy," the young man said, as I slowly woke from the daze. I had to look at him two times to actually see who it was. His sandy blonde hair was slicked back and his brown eyes were warm. He looked quite good in a suit.

"Emmett!" I exclaimed, turning to look at Damon, who looked kind of mad. I turned back to Emmett. "What are you doing here? I though only the Founding families got invited to these things," I stated.

"Yeah, well, my cousin is related to the the Lockwood's, so he invited me to come with him," Emmett explained. "Besides, I used to help Mrs. Lockwood with arranging these things since I've got a few friends in these kind of businesses." He turned to look at Damon, not even sensing that he had interrupted us. "Hey, man, do you mind if I cut in?" he asked, saying it just the way Damon had said it to him at the decade dance.

Damon glared at him darkly for a moment. "Not at all," he said, although he did sound kind of annoyed. Emmett shot him a grin and took my hand, leading me away from Damon, to whom I shot an apologetic look.

"What were you doing with that guy?" Emmett asked me as we danced.

"Why do you ask?" I replied, frowning at him. As it wrong to say that I was annoyed by him as well? Not because he had interrupted me and Damon, since that would probably just have gotten very awkward afterward, but just generally. Maybe it was because he told me he was close with Mrs. Lockwood who had practically forced me to come here?

"He just doesn't seem like your type," Emmett shrugged.

"First off," I began,"you don't know what my type is. Secondly, Damon and I are just friends."

"No need to get mad," Emmett said quickly. "It just looked like the two of you were together," he explained. "I guess I just got jealous..." He tried to give me a small smile.

I smiled back, but I don't think it was convincing.

"Friends you say?" Emmett once again tried and I nodded.

"Yes."

"And you don't have a boyfriend?" he continued asking.

"Nope," I replied.

"Great!"

I raised my eyebrows at him, my lips turning up in a smile. "Excuse me?"

"I was thinking of asking you out," he blushed.

My eyes widened. "What?"

"I think you're really pretty and cool, Steph," he explained. "I was wondering if you were free Friday next week. Maybe dinner and a movie?" he suggested.

I found myself staring at him for way to long. My eyes flickered to Damon, who was sitting in the bar, drinking his glass of scotch.

"Emmett... I, uhm..." I trailed off and Emmett smiled at me.

"It's okay," he said, looking toward Damon as well. "I get it. Can we still be friends?" he asked and I nodded. "I'm sorry. It's not about you, or Damon," I said quickly. "It's just that I'm not ready to date anyone at the moment. I have a lot of things to deal with in my life at the moment."

"It's okay Steffy," Emmett smiled, twirling me around once.

"Wow, watch it!" a man suddenly exclaimed from the other side of the room. Emmett and I stopped dancing and turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry," Elena smiled politely. "My fault, I'm clumsy," she explained. Apparently, she had spun right into the man.

"Then get off the dance floor," the man said angrily.

"Excuse me?" Elena frowned, clearly not expecting the man to react that way.

"That's no way to talk to a lady," Stefan said, stepping forward to defend Elena.

The man shook his head, clearly annoyed by Stefan's approach. "Whatever," he muttered, turning around to leave.

Stefan grabbed his arm and pulled him back, staring intently at him. "I think you need to apologize," he said to the man. Was...Was he compelling him? I felt panic rise inside of me, there was something off here. I turned to Emmett quickly.

"I need to go," I told him. "I'll see you around." I hurried toward Stefan and Elena just as the man apologized and started to leave again.

Stefan pulled him back once more. "Now say it like you mean it," he demanded.

The man looked at Elena, slightly dazed. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Stefan, it's fine," Elena tried, but Stefan didn't seem to hear her.

"Stefan, _stop_!" I hissed as I stepped up to him. My voice seemed to wake him up as his eyes flickered to me. "You're making a scene," I told him.

He looked back at the man. "Now walk away," he finished, pushing the man away. The man stumbled, but continued walking, almost as if nothing had happened. Some who had been watching the scene, went back to their business as Stefan turned to Elena.

"You alright?" he asked her and she nodded, but her eyes told me she was anything but fine.

"I'm just going to go get something to drink," she mumbled.

"I'll come with you," Stefan offered, but I grabbed his sleeve.

"No," I said. "Please come dance with me? I think Elena can handle getting a drink by herself," I smiled awkwardly. "Can't you, Elena?"

"Yeah, Stefan," Elena nodded. "You dance with Steffy and I'll come back soon." She shot me a look of gratitude and I nodded at her as she left. Stefan watched her leave before turning to me. He grabbed my hands and dragged me onto the dance floor, before slowly beginning to sway to the music.

"You didn't have to get involved in that," Stefan said, after a moment of silence. "I had everything under control."

"You didn't look like you had it under control. You literally looked like you wanted to rip that guy's jugular out," I said. "If I hadn't intervened, who knows what might have happened?"

"I had it under control," Stefan repeated, his eyes furrowed.

"Like I said, id didn't look like it," I retorted, wanting to get the last word on this one. "How are you doing by the way? You've been kind of distant since the day in the woods..."

He spun me around once. "I've been worse," he admitted. "But I'm fine."

"Are you really?" I asked, not fully convinced.

He twirled me around again. "I don't need you to be my caretaker, Steffy," he bitterly responded.

"I wasn't trying to be," I told him. "I'm just looking out for you Stefan. You're my friend."

"I don't need to be looked after," he said as he stopped dancing.

"Your actions say otherwise."

He looked at me suspiciously for a second or two. "Damon said something, didn't he?" he finally asked, pointing a finger accusingly at me.

"What? No, Damon hasn't said anything to me," I answered, not really knowing what he was getting at.

"Of course he has, otherwise you wouldn't be acting like this," he accused.

"Stefan," I tried to approach him calmly. "I don't need Damon to tell me anything for me to see that something isn't okay here. You're acting like an alcoholic who just got busted with a drink in his hand!"

"You and Damon are getting to close Steffy," Stefan once again said. "He's getting under your skin with these accusations."

"Stefan, you're being paranoid! Damon hasn't told me _anything,_" I snapped. "But by the way you're talking right now, makes me wonder what it is that he's been hiding these last couple of days." I turned on my heel and left Stefan behind as I walked over to the bar, where Elena and Damon were talking.

"I'll handle it," Elena told Damon sternly as I approached them.

"Okay," Damon said. "Don't say didn't warn you." I looked at Elena as she walked off, but she barely even looked at me as she passed me. I walked up to Damon and stood next to him.

"Stefan is acting really strange Damon," I told him bluntly. "I'm worried about him."

"Not you too," Damon groaned. "I barely managed to change the subject with little miss Gilbert who wanted to talk about my bothersome brother as well."

"Damon, be serious for once," I said. "I'm really, really worried about him. He kept implying that you had told me something about something..."

"So how was your dance?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"As I said, Stefan is acting weird. He's not..." I trailed off again.

"He's not Stefan?" Damon suggested. "Don't worry about it, Steph. I have it all under control," he winked, taking a sip from his bourbon.

"You sound just like Stefan," I sighed, rubbing my temples as I leaned against the bar counter.

Damon finished his drink and reached for a rose that was in a vase.

"I told you not to worry about it," he said again. "I'll handle it, okay?" he asked, offering the rose to me.

I looked at it for a moment before taking it from him, our fingers brushing lightly. "I'm trusting you," I said.

"I'll fix it," he repeated, brushing a piece of hair out of my face and putting it behind my ear before walking off. I looked at the rose for a moment, surprised by the way he had just acted. It was unusual, even for a charmer like him. I shook my head, deciding not to think of it anymore. I turned around and noticed Elena and Matt standing by the door together.

I walked up to them. "I need some fresh air," I informed them. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Yeah, sure," Matt answered and Elena nodded after looking in Stefan's direction. He was drinking again. "You haven't seen my mom, have you?" Matt asked as we began walking outside.

"No, not in a while," I answered. Walking outside, I heard a couple of muffled sounds. As I turned, I gasped, stopping in the doorway. "Oh my God," I managed to get out. Kelly Donovan, were on the porch, making out. I quickly turned around, trying to stop Matt from walking out, but I was already too late. He pushed past me and rushed over to them, grabbing Tyler's arm.

"What the hell are you doing man?" he exclaimed, glaring at his friend.

Kelly looked dazed for a moment. "Matt?" she screeched, obviously surprised by him being there.

"Mom!" Matt screamed angrily. Tyler grabbed his arm.

"Whoa," he said. "Dude, calm down." As soon as he said those words, Matt twisted in his grip and punched him straight in the face. Tyler staggered back for a second before retaliating. If the situation hadn't been so serious, I might have laughed at his expression. However, since the fight was getting more and more serious by the second, I had to try and stop it. Kelly tried to intervene, but she was pushed to the floor. Tyler kept hitting Matt, over and over again. I felt panic rise inside of me as Matt stopped fighting back. Tyler kept hitting him. Matt's eyes were dropping...

I needed to stop Tyler, who had clearly gotten out of hand. I knew I shouldn't use my magic in front of humans, but I had to risk exposure, just this once. I needed to help Matt. As Elena yelled at Tyler to stop, I felt the familiar warmth spreading in my fingers...

...just as Alaric ran out of the house and pulled Tyler away from Matt, who instantly fell to the floor. I balled my hands into fists, feeling the built up energy fade quickly.

"What the hell is this?" Alaric asked Tyler, who seemed to be calming down. Elena rushed toward Matt, who was bleeding badly, just as the Mayor stepped out of the house.

"I'll take it from here," he said, looking at the crowd who was looking at us from the inside. He walked up to Tyler. "Are you hurt? Go get cleaned up, it's okay," I heard him say. Tyler brushed past me, looking angry, confused and worried all at once.

"Everything is fine," Mayor Lockwood continued to address the crowd. "Come on everybody, let's get back to the party. Come on, have a good time!" he said, offering the crowd a smile. He began walking past me, but I grabbed his arm.

"Mayor Lockwood," I stopped him.

He looked me over once, as if he hadn't seen me until now. "Stephanie Blake, am I correct?" he asked politely and I nodded.

"Are you just going to brush everything off?" I asked, almost a little angrily. I surprised even myself by the way I sounded.

"Everything is fine, sweetheart," he smiled, trying to hide his discomfort.

"Your son just beat his best friend," I informed him, trying to make sure that he had actually witnessed what had just gone down. "Almost to the point of unconsciousness, too, I might add."

His smile faltered slightly. "I have it under control, Ms. Blake," he said through gritted teeth. "Everything is fine."

"Keep telling yourself that," I said, turning around to walk to Matt and Elena.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked Matt as she tried to check his face.

"Where is she?" Matt managed to get out. He was obviously referring to his mother.

"I don't know," Elena replied.

"I'll go look for her," I told Matt calmly. "Make sure she's okay."

Elena nodded at me and I left, just as she told Matt to put his head up. I hurried inside and walked through the hallway, only for Damon to stop me.

"You want to hear the bad news or the really bad news?" he asked me smugly.

I rolled my eyes at him as I tried to pass him. "I don't have time for this," I told him, but he grabbed my arm.

"Alright, let me rephrase," he said. "Do you want to hear how the council is back in vampire mode or how I just killed Uncle John Gilbert?"

"What?" I froze, staring at him as he winked.

"Great party by the way, huh?" he smirked, walking off as he took yet another sip from his drink. For someone who said he had everything under control, things were sure getting _out _of control. I kept walking, knowing that if I took a second to thing of the madness going on, I would probably go crazy myself. I rounded the corner, and stopped.

"Stefan!" I exclaimed, seeing Stefan standing over a woman, who was crying on the floor. He slowly turned around, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. I looked at his hand. His fingers were covered in blood. "Get away from her," I whispered slowly, not wanting Kelly to hear me. He backed away slowly at first, before finally running off in the other direction. I rushed over to Kelly and checked on her cut, calling for people to help me with her.

A few minutes later, Kelly was all patched up and taken care of. She even thanked me as two men escorted her outside to a cab, but I blamed that on the fact that she was drunk. I hurried back inside and walked over to Damon, who was looking at a stage, where the Mayor would most likely soon appear to hold a speech.

"We'll talk about John Gilbert after all of this is over," I mumbled to him. He smirked at me, pulling me closer to himself.

"I can't wait," he whispered back into my ear. Suddenly, he froze, raising his head, looking toward a balcony exit. "You got to be kidding me," he groaned. I tried to look in the same direction, but it was impossible to see anything because of the crowd.

Mayor Lockwood stepped up on stage and began thanking everyone for being here tonight. He proceeded to present the reason to why we had gathered there. Somehow, he managed to glorify the upcoming founders' day celebration in a way that made the crowd very excited. I, however, couldn't care less. Although, when he called up _John Gilbert _on stage, to ring the official charter bell, I stared in shock as a blonde man stepped up on stage, next to the Mayor.

"Is that...?" I trailed off, looking at Damon for a moment as he tightened his grip on me.

"Yup," he replied, glaring darkly at the man who was smiling at the crowd.

"One hundred and fifty years of community, prosperity, family," John said. "We take care of each other, we look after each other, protect each other." He looked at Damon as he spoke. "It's good to be home."

"Damon..." I trailed off as he took my hand in his and dragged me toward Alaric, who was standing a little further away from us.

"Look at his right hand," Damon told Alaric.

"Who's?" Alaric asked confused.

I turned to look at John. "John's," I replied, looking at his hand as he rung the bell.

"Well, it looks like mine," Alaric stated.

"Yeah, and that would be a big coincidence if he didn't just come back from the dead, five minutes ago," Damon said. "Where the hell did you get that ring?"

"Isobel, my wife," Alaric answered.

"Who gave birth to Elena, under the medical care of the esteemed DR Grayson Gilbert," Damon said.

"John's brother!" I realized. We all once again turned to look at John, who was still smiling and waving at the crowd.

"Do you think John knew Isobel?" Alaric wondered.

Damon once again wrapped his arm around my waist as he looked at the blonde on stage. "I think John knows a lot of things."

-Deffy-

After realizing that John Gilbert was carrying around a ring like Alaric's, Damon didn't let me out of his sight. Elena once walked up to me and asked me if I had taken care of Kelly, before telling me that she was leaving, since Stefan had mysteriously disappeared. She asked me to call her if I saw him, and I couldn't help but feel bad for her.

I wasn't the only one Damon wouldn't let out his sight; he kept a close eye on Johnathan Gilbert as well. As soon as he noticed that John was leaving the party, he motioned for Alaric to come with us, as we followed the man outside.

"Going somewhere?" Damon asked John, as we walked out of the house.

John stopped walking before turning around to face us. "I've never liked to be the last one to leave a party. It's too desperate," he told us. "Are you going to kill me again, or are you going to let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?" he then asked.

"Okay," Alaric breathed out. "You obviously know who I am."

"I do," John nodded. "Alaric Saltzman, a high school history teacher with a secret." His eyes flickered to me instead. "And Stephanie Blake, I suppose."

I raised my eyebrow at him, silently challenging him to say something about me.

He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "The little witch who just found out about her father's family legacy." So he knew who I was as well...

"You sure know a lot for someone who just got to town," I told him calmly.

"More than you can imagine, sweetheart," John said. From the corner of my eye, I could see Damon's hands ball into fists. "My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that any of you three, or the council knows. So, if you're planning on some clever high-speed-snatch-ring-vamp-kill-move, know that if I die, everything I know goes to the council," John informed us. "_Including_, the fascinating little tale of the original Salvatore brothers and their present day return to Mystic Falls."

I didn't even dare to look at Damon. I could sense that he was both surprised and angry, but I didn't want things to escalate into a huge fight outside of Founder's Hall.

"How did you get that ring?" Alaric asked John, who smirked.

"I inherited one," he told us. "My brother Grayson had the other. This was his," he showed us his ring, "and I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I had known she'd hand it over to another guy."

"So you did know her?" Damon asked, recovering from his earlier shock.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?" John asked.

"_You _sent her?" Damon inquired, narrowing his eyes.

"Guilty," John admitted. "Why, did you think someone else sent her? Maybe Katherine Pierce?"

I went cold at the mention of Damon's and Stefan's ex; the vampire who had turned them both.

"How do you know about Katherine?" Damon demanded.

"How do I know anything, Damon?" John asked.

"What do you want?" I asked John, getting annoyed by the way he was ignoring our questions.

"So many questions," John stated, looking at me. "It was a pleasure meeting you Stephanie. You too Ric. I've heard so much about you both," he said, before turning around. He walked off without saying another word and I turned around to look at Alaric and Damon.

"That went well," I muttered sarcastically. "I get why Matt and Elena don't like him."

"We should get out of here as well," Alaric told me and I nodded.

"Would it be inappropriate for me to ask for a ride home?" I asked him. "My aunt left earlier because she had to deal with something at work."

"It's okay, Steph," Alaric said. "I think we're past the line of inappropriate, since we keep meeting after school with out supernatural adventures."

I had to laugh at that before turning to Damon, who was looking... kind of offended.

"I thought I would get the pleasure of taking you home tonight," Damon pouted, softly caressing my cheek. I was glad it was dark outside, making it more difficult to make out the blush that crept up on my cheeks.

"I'll call you when I get home," I told him, ignoring his words.

"Okay," he nodded. "I need to find Stefan anyway."

I nodded back at him before leaning up, pecking him on the cheek quickly. When I pulled away, he blinked at me once...twice.

"I'll call you," I repeated, before finally following Alaric to his car.

-Deffy-

I washed away my make-up and put on my PJ's before laying down in bed. Elena called me and told me that she and Stefan had talked and that Stefan had admitted to still struggling with the blood lust. I was glad that he was at least being open with it, so that we could help him deal with it. I tried to cheer Elena up, by telling her those things and she agreed that we could all work together to get old Stefan back.

Picking up my phone again, I dialed Damon's number. It rang twice before he answered.

"_What are you wearing?_" he asked immediately, making me laugh.

"You're such a good guesser Damon, why don't you tell me?" I suggested and he chuckled.

"_You're obviously wearing your lacy, black underwear, since you're in the mood for this,_" he stated. I was glad he wasnt' in the room, because I was blushing furiously.

"I'll inform you that I'm not wearing them at all," I told him, trying to suppress my laughter.

"_So you're naked then? That's an interesting turn of events_..."

"Damon!" I gasped, and he laughed.

"_Sorry, couldn't help myself_," he said and I could practically imagine his grin. "_You go home okay?_"

"Yeah, I'm all dressed up and ready to go to bed," I informed him.

"_Do you want company?_"

"Damon..." I warned him, but he just chuckled again.

"_As in, do you want me to come over and stay with you until you fall asleep?_" he clarified.

"Thank you, but no thank you," I answered. "You know very well that my nightmares are gone and I'm big enough to handle myself."

"_Whatever you say,_" he said. "_You know I'm just a phone-call away_."

"Thanks," I told him. "How is Stefan doing?" I asked him, changing the subject to the real reason that I called him.

"_Struggling, but he'll pull through_," Damon answered.

"I'm worried about him, Damon," I sighed. "You should have heard the way he spoke to me while we were dancing. If I didn't know better, I would think that he was actually drinking in secret..."

"_I'm keeping my eye on him, Steffy,_" Damon told me. "_I'll keep him under control._"

"Everyone keeps telling me that everything is under control," I groaned. "I just feel like everything will soon boil over. With Stefan, John, the council and _everything_."

"_Steffy,_" Damon sighed. "_I promise that I have everything under control. I know it's hard, but you just have to be a strong little witch and pull through this. I'll help... Always._" My heart jumped at his words. Was that a promise that he would always stay with me? I forced myself to shake away the thought. I didn't need Damon to _live_. That was just silly. I had survived this long without him, so I would manage without him whenever he needed to move on, out of Mystic Falls.

"Okay," I finally said. "I trust you."

I could practically hear that he was smiling when he spoke next. "_Good night, Steffy._"

"Good night, Damon."

* * *

_**A/N: I really hope you liked the chapter! Please, pretty please review! It would mean a lot!**_

_**This time, I won't be giving you a sneak peak, but let me just tell you, that I really think you'll like the next chapter a LOT! ;)**_

_**So, review and tell me what you thought of the chapter! Remember to be nice, since spell-check didn't work and everything has just been against me this week...**_

_**Link to Steffy's outfit: www. polyvore**__(dot com slash here!)__** cgi/ set?id =81196753  
**_

_****__Remember to remove spaces and follow the "dot 'com' slash! instructions, otherwise the link won't work! Follow me on Tumblr (author123456 is my blog-name) for updates and sneak peaks! Also, if you want to communicate with me and discuss the chapters on a deeper level! Otherwise, PM me!_

_**Lots of love,**_

_**Spicy**_


	20. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Hello everyone! I am well aware that it's been ages since I updated MTB and any other story of mine, but in my defense, I had exams and graduation coming up, and I passed everything with flying colors! So now that I'm free, waiting for my college applications to be handled and so on, I have a lot of time to write (but I need to work as well!)!**_

_**Anyway, i just finished this chapter, which is "Miss Mystic Falls", which I've said will be EPIC. Well, I can't exactly say that the whole chapter is epic, but i do think that some of you will like it! ;)**_

_**I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter: winxgirl1997, grapejuice101, asixua, SomebodyWhoCares, belladu57, , aireagle92, 1llu510n, Yessi-love1619, Tvdlover87654, Revenger Tigger, Vamp-Diaries-4eva98, Misaki Sloth and my guest reviewers: XxxBrEnDaxxX and Sunpixie.  
**_

_**Sunpixie: The awkward Deffy moment involving a bathtub, is a moment in one of the earlier chapters, before Steffy finds out about Damon and Stefan being vampires. She doesn't even know she's a witch yet there, so if you want to read it, just go back a few chapters. If i recall correctly, it was the episode "haunted" =) Not quite sure, so just go back. Otherwise, I can post it as a one-shot, but it wouldn't make any sense without the other chapters ^^**_

_**Also, I know I haven't replied to your reviews, but I've read them all and I promise that I'll reply on the next chapter! Just remember to review!**_

_**I don't want to be a pain in the ass, so please enjoy this chapter (AND DON'T TRY TO MURDER ME AFTER YOU'VE READ IT!)!**_

* * *

_Chapter 19: Miss Mystic Falls_

I looked out the window, humming along to the song on the radio. For some reason, it felt as if a thick tension hung in the air, but I still couldn't understand why. Damon was driving me to school at the moment, since he had offered to last night, but we hadn't spoken much since I had gotten into the car. It might have had to do with the fact that he was still hiding something from me. I figured it had to do with Stefan and his little... _problem_, but whenever I brought it up, he changed the subject as soon as he got the chance.

"I really like your outfit today," Damon said, obviously trying to cut through the tension. "It's very...you."

"Very me?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Very sexy," he clarified.

"Shut up," I snorted.

He looked a little offended. "Can't one just tell their friend that they look sexy? I thought that was what young teenage girls told each other during their slumber parties," he said.

"I'm sure you would know," I replied. "You probably sneak into those parties whenever you get the chance."

"I'm not a pervert, Steffy," he smirked. "I like my women to be my age."

"Yeah, that's why you were together with Caroline and keep hitting on me," I laughed. "Also, I think Mrs. Donovan is twice as old as you, so your argument is invalid." He snorted at me. "But thanks," I added, looking at the faded jeans I was wearing along with a simple T-shirt. If he thought this was sexy, I didn't know what wasn't sexy to him.

Damon pulled up at the school, and I rose slightly in my seat, seeing Stefan for the first time in a long while. He was standing next to his car, talking to Elena, while smiling at her. Even though he looked alright, there was something off with him... I could tell by the look he was giving Elena, that Elena didn't seem to notice at all. He looked almost as if he was hiding something as well.

I turned to Damon. "How has Stefan been doing?" I asked him.

"Fine," he shrugged dismissively.

"He doesn't look fine to me," I told him.

"Well he is," Damon curtly replied.

"You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

He sighed, turning away for only a moment before turning back to me. "Yes."

_He lied_.

I could tell because for less than a millisecond, I saw some kind of guilt flash through his eyes. Nevertheless, I decided not to make a big thing out of it...for now.

"Even though I shouldn't," I began, "I trust you. If there is something wrong, you can tell me."

Damon just shook his head. "There's nothing going on, Steph," he lied again.

"Whatever," I sighed, giving up and stepping out of the car. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime," Damon replied, before I slammed the door shut.

-Deffy-

I sat down by my desk in Alaric's classroom, next to Elena, behind Stefan. Just as Alaric began telling us what we were going to learn about today, the door opened and someone stepped in. I looked up at the person, and smiled. _Bonnie_.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, walking over to her desk. She looked over at us and smiled...at Elena. As her eyes drifted towards me and Stefan, her smiled faded and she turned around not to look at us. Elena, Stefan and I shared a confused look. What just happened?

-Deffy-

After class, I tried to get a hold of Bonnie, but she managed to slip away from me. I turned to Elena, but saw that she was already running after our friend, who apparently wasn't much for talking. I ran after them, and reached them, just as Bonnie told Elena that it's been hard.

"Everyone here really missed you," Elena told her.

"Yeah, I just had so much to deal with after Grams' funeral and, honestly," she turned to me, "after you told me the tomb spell failed, I just didn't really want to come back."

"I hope you understand why I left you that message," I told her. "I wanted you to know before you came home."

She just looked at me, almost as if she didn't want to speak to me at all. She turned back to Elena, and we all just stayed quiet for a moment before I decided to speak up.

"I know it's been really hard-"

"Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed, interrupting me. "Bonnie! Thank god you're home!" she said as she embraced Bonnie. Elena and I stood silently, watching them. "I know we talked everyday, but I missed you."

Caroline statement made a knot tie in my stomach. Bonnie had been talking to her, but wouldn't reply to any of my messages? I have to admit that it hurt a little...

"How are you doing?" Caroline continued.

"Better," Bonnie replied, smiling at Caroline. "You know, glad to be back and trying to keep myself busy."

Caroline smiled. "Well, I can help with that," she said. "Major wardrobe problem. You need to help me pick up the perfect dress for the Founder's court."

"Founder's court?" I asked, confused. "Did I miss something?"

"I've been talking about it constantly for a week, Steffy!" Caroline exclaimed, clearly offended by the lack of attention I had paid to her. "The Founder's court! You know, Miss Mystic Falls. They announced it today and both Elena and I are on it." Now that she said it... I did recall hearing her mention it to me once or twice.

"Oh my God," Elena said. "We signed up for that so long ago... I completely forgot."

"So, are you dropping out then?" Caroline asked, sounding almost...hopeful?

"I can't," Elena responded, looking at Bonnie.

"No?" Caroline asked.

"Her mom is the one who wanted her to enter," Bonnie explained. I looked at Elena. I felt sorry for her... Her parents were dead, and this Miss Mystic pageant would probably be hard on her, bringing up a lot of memories.

"Well, Steffy," Caroline said, turning to me. "I need help with _everything_," she told me.

I nodded at her. "I'll help," I replied. After all, she was my cousin. It would be unfair of me to just let her handle everything by herself, even though I'm sure she would have handled it perfectly fine.

"Then it's settled," Caroline said, not seeing the look Bonnie gave me when I agreed to help. "You and I have a lot to do."

I looked Bonnie in the eyes. "Yes, we do," I agreed, with Caroline, sensing that Bonnie didn't like the fact that I would be helping too at all.

-Deffy-

"Pass me the remote," I laughed as Caroline jumped onto the couch next to me. She handed me a bowl of popcorn and the remote along with it. I pressed play, and settled under the blanket Caroline had gotten for us.

"I've missed this," Caroline said. "Movie nights, I mean. I've missed just hanging out with you."

"I've missed this too," I smiled at her. "It's been ages since I just relaxed and watched a movie."

"Well, if you hadn't been spending so much time with Elena, Stefan and Damon, you might have had more time for me and movies," Caroline said, almost bitterly.

"Caroline," I said. "You're my cousin, my sister, my only family besides your mom. No matter how much time I spend with Elena, Stefan and Damon, I will always put you first," I told her. "That's why I have agreed to help you with the pageant."

"I really appreciate it," she grinned at me. "I know that you can at least contribute with something. Your mom-"

"I know," I interrupted, smiling at her sadly. "But let's just watch the movie for now. We can talk details on the pageant later."

she agreed by nodding, and turning her head toward the TV again, just as the movie began. I sighed, before concentrating on the TV myself.

-Deffy-

The next day, I decided to go and visit Damon before going to Caroline's dance rehearsals. As I pulled up by the Boarding house, I saw a familiar blonde person walking out of the house, looking angry.

"What are you doing here, John?" I asked him as he walked up to me, a determined look on his face.

"Actually, Stephanie," he said, "I think it would be wiser to ask what you are doing here," he told me, turning to look at the house again, before turning back to me. "It isn't surprising that you're fraternizing with the enemy," he snorted. "At least not if you look at your family's history."

"Are you referring to the fact that we are witches?" I asked him, annoyed.

His eyes sparkled. "No, but that is also a part of the issue."

"What are you talking about then?"

"You'll probably find out eventually. Maybe you should ask your boyfriend, Damon, about that," he smirked.

"Damon isn't my boyfriend," I snapped. "We're friends, no matter what you think of us." I took a step toward him. "And I don't use my magic on humans, but if you ever cross me, or try to expose Damon and Stefan to the Council, you'll find out how horrible a scorned witch can be."

With that, I walked past him and into the house. I had seen fear flash in his eyes for a moment, and I knew my message had gotten across.

"Damon?" I called out, and in less than a second he appeared in front of me. "I met John outside. He looked mad."

"I called his bluff," Damon shrugged. "He's mad he doesn't have anything to hold over me anymore."

"He told me that he wasn't surprised I was hanging out with you and Stefan," I told him. "He said that with my family's history, it wasn't shocking at all. What did he mean by that?" I asked.

Damon once again shrugged. "How would I know?"

"I mean, back in 1864," I clarified. "Did my family have anything to do with the vampires?" It was the only thing that would make any sense. Why else would John say what he said?

"How should I know?" Damon asked. "Back then I followed Katherine around like a lost puppy. I only cared about her, not the others."

"Well," I sighed, "I just came here to see you before dance rehearsals."

"Dance rehearsals?"

"Caroline is participating in this years Miss Mystic Falls pageant. I'm helping her, so I need to follow her around," I explained, making Damon chuckle.

"I suppose I should tell you to have fun," he said. "So, have fun Stephanie," he purred at me, picking up a glass of scotch, taking a sip while looking me in the eyes. "I'll be seeing you at the pageant then?"

"I'll be there to support Caroline, yes," I nodded.

"Can't wait to see you all dressed up then," he smirked.

"Whatever, Damon," I rolled my eyes at him. "I need to get going. I'll see you around."

"Bye Stephanie."

-Deffy-

I laughed watching Caroline fail at the dance as Carol Lockwood instructed. She turned around and glared at me. "Stop laughing, Steph," she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," I laughed. "It's just that I've never actually seen you fail at something." Yet another chuckle escaped my lips.

"Well, it's easy for you to laugh," Caroline said. "You already know the dance."

Mrs. Lockwood who had been passing us at that moment, stopped and looked at me strangely. "You know the dance Stephanie?" she asked, looking pleasantly surprised.

I sat up straighter in my chair. "Actually, yes, I do," I replied.

"How come?" Carol asked.

"Her mom," Caroline answered. "My aunt, she was Miss Mystic back in her day."

Mrs. Lockwood's mouth shaped an 'o'. "I had completely forgotten that," she said, sounding embarrassed.

"It's okay," I smiled at her. "My mom, she taught me everything there was to know about the dance and the pageant. I just never thought it would be useful since I didn't think I'd ever have to move to Mystic Falls."

"Well," Mrs. Lockwood smiled, "perhaps you can enter the pageant next year to honor your mother's memory," she suggested.

_If I survive that long_, I wanted to say. Instead I just smiled at her. "Maybe."

"Continue Caroline," Mrs. Lockwood said, turning to my cousin again. "You'll need all the practise you can get." She moved on to the next couple to comment on their dancing.

"I'll never win," Caroline groaned, burying her head in her hands. "Matt couldn't come to rehearsals, so I had to use some guy I met on the street as a temporary partner. The only thing he seems to be interested in is the free sandwiches Mrs. Lockwood got us," she said, motioning to the guy she had brought who was currently devouring a sandwich.

"Caroline, listen to me," I said, making her look at me. "You will win this thing, I just know it," I told her. "I'll teach you the dance when we get home. We'll practise every single day if we need to. I'll call in Jeremy so he can be your partner if Matt's at work, and then I'll teach Matt the dance as well. We'll fix this. You'll fix this, like you always do," I smiled at her.

Slowly, a smile spread across her lips. "Okay," she finally said. "We'll fix this. We'll make your mom proud, together."

I nodded at her. "Together," I agreed.

-Deffy-

While Caroline was dancing, I noticed Bonnie standing by the door, looking at her. I called out her name, but she took one look at me and turned to walk away. I hurried after her, and caught her arm just before she exited the building.

"Bonnie, wait," I said, forcing her to turn around. "Bonnie, talk to me. Why aren't you talking to me?"

She looked me over once, and shook her head. "My Grams died," was all she said.

"I know," I told her. "And I'm sorry for your loss. I've tried calling you multiple times, and you haven't answered once. Then you come back, refuse to even look me in the eyes, and I find out that you and Caroline have been talking every single day? What's wrong? Why are you shutting me out?" I asked her.

"I'm mad at you," Bonnie snapped. "I'm mad, that you left. You took your necklace with you when you went into the tomb, to save _Damon _of all people," she said, tears filling her eyes. "Grams died because she wasn't strong enough without your necklace!"

I looked at her for a moment. "You're blaming me for her death...?"

"I'm blaming you, and Stefan, and Damon," she said. "At least at the moment. I need someone to turn my anger to, and unfortunately, that's you and the Salvatore's, because Damon forced us to perform the spell, Stefan did nothing to stop it and you ran, when _Damon _needed you."

It took a few seconds in silence for me to register everything she had told me. "If that's the way you feel," I said. "I won't bother you anymore. The only thing you need to know though, is that I still consider myself your friend. We're witches, and we're supposed to stick together. That's what Sheila would have wanted," I told her and walked back to the rehearsals, leaving her alone.

-Deffy-

Finally, the day of the pageant arrived. I had let Caroline go out with Bonnie a few times, hoping Bonnie would get other things to think of than her grandmother's death. However, when it came to the important things, Caroline had insisted that I'd come along too.

We were at home at the moment, Caroline and I. Her lovely green dress was hung up, and my dress was on the bed, since I had to put it on here at home. It was a beautiful sleeveless dress, in navy blue. It's bodice had a net design, it was high waisted and had a sheer panel through the legs with side splits. Caroline helped me put it on and pulled up the zipper as I pulled on my silver high heel sandals. My hair was already done. I had decided to go on a simple half updo, as I wasn't one of the participants, but just there to support Caroline and Elena. I put on my drop earrings and bracelet, checked my light make-up one more time before standing up so that Caroline could look at me.

"Well? What do you think?" I asked, spinning around once.

"I think you would have been my biggest competitor if you had been in the competition," Caroline admitted.

"Thank you," I grinned. "Now let's go. Aunt Liz is probably already at the Founder's Hall, and you need to get ready as well." I grabbed the make-up bag and shoes while Caroline grabbed the dress. "Let's go and get you ready," I smiled at her, and she beamed back at me.

-Deffy-

After getting Caroline settled in the dressing room, she told me I could go for a walk while she got her make-up done. I walked downstairs and decided to go outside to see who was there already. As I approached the exit, I saw Damon (who looked dashing as always in a suit) and Anna, talking about something. I walked up to them, just as Anna walked off. Damon turned to look at me, giving me a once-over.

"You look wonderful," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Thank you?"

"You already know I think you're beautiful," he told me. "So whatever I say now doesn't matter. You already know you look great."

I could feel the blush creeping up on my cheeks. "You look good too," I told him, brushing away a little dust on his shoulder.

"How come you didn't ask me out for this event then?" he asked playfully, trailing a finger down my bare arm.

"Because Mrs. Lockwood didn't _force_ me to bring a date this time," I grinned at him.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Haha, Steffy," he laughed sarcastically. "You'll come looking for me soon enough."

"Actually, I need to go help Caroline get ready. I'll see you around," I smiled, walking off, feeling his eyes on me.

I got to the dressing room and found Caroline, looking a little sad.

"What's wrong Care?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"I overheard Elena and Jenna talking. She really misses her parents, and I guess I just thought of how lucky I am to have mine," she explained. A lump formed in my throat.

"Oh," I managed to say, which caused Caroline to turn around.

"I know that you must miss your parents a lot too," she said. "I never knew your dad, and I know you didn't either, but I knew your mom, and I miss her a lot. I can't imagine what it must feel like."

I looked away for a moment, not wanting Caroline to see the tears forming in my eyes. "Yeah, well life goes on. People die, it's just the way it is," I told her. "The only thing we can do is try not to forget about them."

She nodded, standing up to embrace me. I hugged her back tightly before pulling back, clearing my throat. "Now let's fix your hair," I smiled.

A couple of minutes later, the door opened, only to reveal Damon. I turned to look at him, the curling iron still in my hand.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline snapped.

"I wanted to wish you luck," Damon said, almost sounding honest. "And I need a moment with Steffy."

"What's wrong?" I asked, sensing that something was off again.

"Can we step outside for a moment?" Damon asked.

I turned to look at Caroline, who just sighed. "Go, I'll take care of the rest myself," she said, waving me off.

I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You're the best," I reminded her, and hurried outside of the room with Damon.

"What's wrong?" I asked again, once we made sure we were alone.

"When you asked me if something was wrong, I wasn't being completely honest with you," Damon said.

"No shit Sherlock," I rolled my eyes. "I knew something was up, just tell me what happened."

"Stefan is still drinking human blood," Damon blurted out.

"What?" I froze.

"He's been struggling more than ever, and he's been secretly drinking human blood," Damon repeated.

"Does Elena know?" He shook his head. "Why the hell haven't you said anything then? What were you waiting for? We need to tell her!" I exclaimed, already walking toward the dressing room again.

Damon grabbed my hand and stopped me. "We need to think this through," he whispered. "Stefan is dangerous at the moment. Telling Elena might upset him and make him do things that Saint Stefan wouldn't do," he told me.

"You should have thought of that before letting it go so far," I snapped, pulling away from him. I hurried back to the dressing room, to find that Elena was alone. She smiled at me weakly before seeing Damon behind me.

"Damon, you can't be back here," she said.

"We need to talk," he said, finally going along with me.

"Does it have to be right now?" Elena asked.

"Normally I would have a completely different outlook of what I'm about to tell you, but since it could really inconvenience me, and because I'm afraid Steffy might make my head explode if I don't, I'll squeal," Damon said.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked confused.

"Stefan's still drinking human blood, Elena," I said.

Elena's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, a month ago I would have rejoiced, but with the Council back on the alert, it's not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle," Damon admitted.

"I know he's been a little edgy but he said that was normal," Elena tried, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.

"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house," Damon said.

Elena sat down on the couch. "Oh my God..."

"He has no idea what normal is, his existence isn't normal," Damon explained. "Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood, but he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning to control it and now it's controlling him instead."

"I can't believe this," Elena said. "I mean, it's Stefan that we're talking about here," she tried again, but Damon just shook his head.

"Stefan on human blood Elena; he'll do anything, he'll say anything because he's not going to want to stop," he said, turning to look at me. "Trust me."

"This is all my fault," Elena said.

"No Elena-" I started, but she interrupted me.

"Yes it is! I'm the one who fed him the blood in the first place," she said, just as the door opened, to reveal Stefan.

"What's going on in here?" he asked, looking from Damon and me, to Elena.

"Steffy and I were just filling Elena in on your extra-curricular activities," Damon said.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan laughed.

"I know about the blood, Stefan," Elena said, earning a look from her boyfriend.

"Uh, Steffy and I'll be downstairs, drinking," Damon said, sensing the tension and wanting to get away.

"Or something..." I mumbled, as he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. "Things are going to boil over soon, Damon," I said and he nodded.

"And that is certainly not what we need right now," he said. "I'll be downstairs if you need me," Damon told me.

"Okay," I said, turning around to see Caroline looking nervous. I walked up to her. "You'll be fine, Care," I told her and she smiled slightly. "You look beautiful."

"Well, beauty isn't the only thing that one needs to be Miss Mystic," Caroline said.

"You've got this," I told her. "I know you do."

"Get in line girls!" Carol Lockwood called out. "Has anyone seen Amber?" she asked, just as Elena stepped out of the dressing room, fully dressed. She looked downstairs. "Do you see Stefan down there?" she asked, as Caroline looked down.

"Nope, just my boring fill in escort," Caroline said bitterly.

"What happened to Matt?" Elena asked.

"They wouldn't let him out of work," I explained. "What happened to Stefan?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"I don't know, he just disappeared somewhere. I don't know," she said. "What am I doing? I never should have gone through with this."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"I need to find Stefan, this isn't me, I'm not this person anymore," Elena said, getting ready to leave, but Caroline grabbed her.

"No, no way, no," she said. "You had your chance to drop out and believe me, I was all for it because there is no way I could beat you. Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom," Caroline said. She seemed to have convinced Elena to stay, just as Mayor Lockwood called down Caroline. I gave Caroline a reassuring smile as she stepped downstairs with her head held high.

"Stephanie," Carol Lockwood breathed out as she reached me and Elena. "Could you please fill in for Amber?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I can't find her anywhere, and we can't have an empty spot while they dance. You already know the dance, and you won't be a contestant, you'll just be filling in the empty spot," Carol explained.

My eyes widened. "No, please Mrs. Lockwood, I can't!"

"Stephanie, please!" Mrs. Lockwood pleaded. "I'll owe you a favor."

I looked at Elena, who nodded at me. "You're mom would have liked it," she told me, and I turned back to Mrs. Lockwood, biting my lip.

"When do I go downstairs?" I asked and she grinned at me.

"After Elena, who's next. I already filled my husband in on the change, so you have nothing to worry about. And you look really pretty too," Mrs. Lockwood smiled, walking off.

"Oh my God, why did I agree on this?" I asked Elena, who just smiled at me, as she was called down. She looked at me nervously. I looked downstairs, only to see Damon step up to fill in for Stefan. Something inside of me twitched. I don't know what it was, or why it had happened, but something about seeing Damon escorting Elena out, made my heart pound in my chest.

"Filling in for Miss Amber Bradley, Miss Stephanie Blake, escorted by Mister Emmett Hamilton," Mayor Lockwood said into the microphone, as I walked down the stairs. I nearly laughed at the coincidence. It was typical that Emmett would be Amber's escort. He offered me his arm, which I took as we walked outside and stood by the other contestants. My eyes flickered over to Damon, only to see him looking at me as well. Goosebumps crept up on my arms, as the music began and we started dancing.

I was lucky I had practiced a lot with Caroline, because otherwise, I would have been standing here improvising wildly, trying to remember every step. However, now that I had practiced, I had ever single step memorized. While we danced, I found myself looking over at Damon and Elena from time to time. Evey time I looked over, I saw that he was looking at me as well. Our eyes met, as we finally got to touch our partners, but for some reason, we couldn't tear our eyes from each other. I silently found myself wishing, that I was the one dancing with Damon...

I forced myself to look away from him, and smiled at Emmett, just as the dance ended.

I let out a breath and applauded the other contestants, before Emmett escorted me back inside. I thanked him for the dance, but we didn't talk much after that, since he left to be with his cousin. I turned around and saw Damon standing by the exit, staring at me. I bit my lip and walked off to the refreshments, pouring myself a glass of water. I could practically _feel_ him walking after me. Soon enough, I felt his presence behind me.

"I noticed you were staring at me while I was dancing with Elena, you know," he told me.

"Really? I noticed you were staring at me while I was dancing with Emmett," I retorted, rolling my eyes at him.

He snorted at me. "So you're not denying it then?"

"No, _you're_ not denying that you were watching me," I answered, turning to look at him. I had to admit, he did look very good in a suit. Not that I cared.

"Well, I'm not usually one to just let a beautiful girl think I don't notice that she's staring," he said. I stayed quiet for a moment and turned away, looking out the window.

"You keep telling me I'm beautiful," I said, feeling his gaze on me. I didn't turn around to look at him, but I felt his finger trace my arm as he leaned closer to my ear.

"You look stunning," he whispered. "Especially when you're jealous," he added.

I turned to stare at him again, his face awfully close to mine. "Jealousy isn't one of my personality traits, Damon," I told him. "Although, you look pretty dashing yourself when you're trying to hide that it is one of yours."

His smug face twisted into one of inner conflict. He didn't say anything, so I smirked at him, happy that I had won, and turned around to walk away.

"That's it," he suddenly growled behind me, grabbing my hand and pulling me back. "I can't take it anymore," he snapped, pulling me with him. I was surprised that people didn't notice us. It must have look strange to those who noticed; Damon pulling me upstairs, while I tried not to slip on the steps.

As soon as we were upstairs, he pushed open one of the bathroom doors and pulled me inside. He turned to lock the door, as I looked at him confused.

"Damon, what are you-" His lips crashed against mine before I had the chance to ask him what he was doing. It took me a few seconds to register what was happening... He was kissing me.

He. Was. _Kissing_. Me!

His soft lips moved against mine, and soon enough, I responded, with the same amount of passion, if not more. He took a few steps, forcing me to walk backwards. I found myself being pressed against the counter, and wrapped my arms around his neck, so that I wouldn't fall over. In one swift movement, he lifted me up on the counter and stood between my legs, his hands on my cheeks as he continued kissing me.

I had never felt this way before. It felt like things were falling into place. Like everything was okay. Like Stefan wasn't going crazy, and like I didn't have a single worry in the world.

As he deepened the kiss, I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him even closer to me. It felt so _right_. His hand went to my back, tracing the zipper... I felt him slowly beginning to pull it down...

Suddenly, he pulled away, breathing heavily. My forehead was against his, my hands on his shoulders for support, while his were on my hips.

"Shh..." he hushed me, listening intently to something. I was still in a daze, when I turned his head towards the door. "It's your aunt," he whispered. "She's sending someone to get me. Something's happened."

"Stefan!" I realized, looking into Damon's eyes. His eyes were dark...filled with emotion. "You need to go," I told him.

"But I don't really want to," he murmured, leaning in again, but I pushed him away.

"No, you need to go," I repeated. "If my aunt finds Stefan, she'll kill him, without even hesitating. You need to help him. We'll talk about _this _later."

He raised an eyebrow at me skeptically, but I nodded.

"I promise," I said, finally letting go of him. He looked at me, still breathing hard, nodded once and stood by the door.

"They've left for the moment, you can leave. I'll go out the window," he told me and I nodded, getting off the counter, and fixing my dress.

"My zipper," I said, realizing he had begun pulling it down. He smirked at me as he walked around me, brushed away my hair and slowly pulled it up again, making sure to stand as close to me as possible. My breath hitched as I felt him press his lips to my neck. I turned my head sideways and looked up at him, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.

"Go," I whispered to him, closing my eyes for a moment. I heard a sound and cold embraced me. I opened my eyes and saw that he was gone.

It took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. The kiss had been so unexpected. Damon and I needed to talk about it, but at the moment, I couldn't think about that. I unlocked the bathroom and stepped out.

I hurried downstairs, only to see that all the contestants had lined up on stage.

"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community," Mayor Lockwood said.

I joined in on the applause.

"So, without further a due," the Mayor continued. "It is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Caroline Forbes!"

I grinned and applauded along with the rest of the crowd. Elena and Caroline embraced on stage as Elena congratulated her. The Mayor put the banner around Caroline's shoulders and a crown on her head, as I turned around, only to see Damon standing by a door.

I walked up to him and Elena followed me.

"What is it, did you find him?" I asked him.

"There were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom," Damon said, filling me and Elena in. "There was blood and that Amber girl is missing."

"Oh my God! He wouldn't hurt her, he won't!" Elena said, looking scared.

"Let's just find him, okay?" Damon said, looking at me. "Get your coats, come on!"

Elena and I hurried to get our coats and then ran outside. I noticed that Bonnie followed us, but I didn't say anything to her.

We ran into the woods, just outside of the Founder's Hall, and I heard screaming. I sped up, but my heels made it hard for me to run.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled as we approached him and Amber. He was biting her, but released her when hearing Elena's voice.

"Stefan, come on," Damon said. "Get control. It's okay, come on. Breathe through it man," he tried, but Stefan just grabbed him and threw him against a tree. Damon groaned and stayed on the ground for a moment.

"Stefan stop it!" I yelled. Stefan turned to glare at me. His mouth was covered in blood, his veins appearing around his eyes.

"I'm getting tired of your shit, Stephanie," he growled, lunging at me. I was so shocked that I didn't have time to react. Fortunately, Bonnie did.

Stefan held his head, screaming out in agony, as Bonnie cast a spell on him. I took a few steps back from Stefan, who seemed to awake from his blood lust when Bonnie stopped hurting him. He looked at me, a look of shame passing through his face.

"It's okay, Stefan," I tried, offering him my hand, but instead, he turned around and ran away. In an instant, Damon sped up to me, to see if I was okay. His hands were on my cheeks as he forced me to look up at him, while I reassured him that I was fine and that Stefan hadn't gotten to me.

I turned to look at Bonnie. "Thank you," I told her and she just nodded.

My aunt arrived later with the police. Damon, Elena, Bonnie and I had to lie, telling her that we had just found Amber, and that we hadn't seen her attacker. As Bonnie left, Elena followed her, trying to talk to her, while I stayed with Damon and my aunt. My aunt asked Damon to give me a ride home, but I told her I had my own car with me. Damon said he'd walk me to it, and followed me as I walked off.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" he asked, as I put my hand on the hood to remove my heels.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll just go home and change, and then I'll come over to the Boarding house, so we can talk," I told him. He looked at me curiously and put a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"I'll be expecting you then," he said and I nodded.

"Caroline will be staying at Matt's tonight anyway, so I can tell my aunt I'll be staying at Elena's while we deal with Stefan."

This time he nodded. "And we need to talk," he added.

"Yes," I agreed. "We need to talk."

-Deffy-

I closed the door and locked my car as I walked up to the Boarding house. I had changed into a pair of jeans and a black hoodie and some flats. I walked into the house and was immediately met by Damon, who put a finger to his lips, a signal for me to keep quiet. He grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the kitchen. The familiar currents ran through my hand at his touch. He let go of me when we arrived and turned the tap on, probably so Stefan wouldn't hear us.

"Elena's upstairs. She's going to vervain Stefan," he explained. I stared at him, and sighed deeply. "It's the only choice we have," Damon said. "He's out of control. He'll expose us all."

"He's your brother, Damon," I said. "I'm pretty sure that exposure isn't the only thing you're worried about here. You're worried about _him _too."

Damon looked away for a moment. "The kiss," he said. "Let's discuss that instead." He wanted to change the subject. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, and I knew that his brother was his weakness.

"What do you want me to say about it?" I asked him. "It confused me. I thought we were just friends, and then you went and kissed me."

"You kissed back," he snorted.

"I know," I said. "I was there, remember?" He chuckled at my lame attempt at a joke. "But seriously, I don't know what to say about it."

"Did you like it?" he asked.

"It took me by surprise for sure," I answered.

"I didn't ask if it took you by surprise, I asked if you liked it," he repeated.

"Yes," I answered. "But that doesn't change the fact that I don't know what to do about it."

"It doesn't have to mean anything, if that's what you want," he told me. "It could just be two friends, letting out some sexual frustrations and letting out some tension that has been building up for a while."

"Okay," I nodded. "But it can't happen again. It just makes me confused."

Damon nodded curtly. "No kissing then," he agreed. "Causes confusion." I bit my lip and nodded, as he smiled at me. He took a step toward me, turning off the running water. I didn't step back as he began leaning in again. "Maybe just one more..." he trailed off as I closed my eyes, leaning up as well.

He had barely brushed his lips against mine, when Elena called out his name. We pulled away from each other and hurried upstairs. Damon looked at Elena.

"Sure you want to do this?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I'm sure."

Damon lifted up Stefan and carried him to the basement. Elena and I followed him and watched as Damon put his younger brother in a cell and closed the door.

"There's no guarantee it's going to work," Damon told Elena.

"It has to," she said. Damon nodded and began walking upstairs.

"Coming?" he asked her.

"I'm going to stay here," Elena replied and sat down. Damon looked at her and then looked at me.

"I'll go get us some blankets and then I'll be down here too," I told him.

"I'll help you," he offered, following me upstairs.

"I'm serious, Damon," I told him. "I won't let you and Elena handle Stefan alone. He's my friend, and he's lost his way at the moment. I want to help him find it again."

Damon looked at me and stepped closer again. He put a hand on my cheek and tilted his head, looking at me curiously. "You're pretty amazing, you know," he told me, before stepping away from me, taking the blankets with him as he walked down into the basement again. I stared after him a few seconds, before following him downstairs. I sat down against the wall in front of Elena, who Damon offered a blanket before sitting down next to me covering me with a blanket as well as himself. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and felt his hand wrap around mine, giving me a gentle squeeze. I closed my eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep, hoping that tomorrow wouldn't be as eventful as today.

* * *

_**A/N: *Ducks behind a chair* Please don't kill me for making Damon and Steffy agree that the kiss didn't change anything for them!**_

_**But what did you think? You did get a kiss! A very nice kiss, if i say so myself... And you also got an "almost-kiss" in the end! =D **_

_**So, what did you think of the chapter in general? Love it? Hate it? Nothing special?**_

_**Tell me sweethearts! Review and I'll start working on the next chapter ASAP!**_

_**Here's the link to Steffy's dress: **__****__** www. polyvore**_ _(dot com slash here!)****__****__** cgi / set?id=85835940**__**  
**_

_**I hope you liked the chapter!**_

_**Lot's of love!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_

_**P.S. If you like Klaroline, and haven't checked out my AU one-shot "Her Best Friend's brother" yet, do so and leave a review! ;)**_


	21. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Hey everyone!**_

_**I am so sorry that I haven't updated to story sooner, but I've been very very busy with work! After I finished working, I went on a vacation with my family and now that I'm back, and have been accepted into the University of Economics, I have a lot of studying on my hands!**_

_**However, as I mentioned to some of you in my replies to the reviews on the last chapter, I will try to get in at least one hour of writing every day so that I'll have one finished chapter by the end of each week! Although, this won't be a promise, since I don't know if I'll have time some days!**_

_**Anyway, I am so glad that you all liked the last chapter, especially the kiss (hehe)! I was kind of nervous at first about writing it, but I'm glad I made the decision to keep it in there! Also, I have something HUGE planned for the season finale! Prepare yourselves (just saying!)...**_

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I really appreciate it, even though I won't be writing your names here this time since I don't want to prolong your waiting for this chapter any more!**_

_**I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter, even though it's more of an "Blake Origin" chapter, where we learn a little more about Steffy's ancestors!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter 20: Blood Brothers**

I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest. Damon and Elena stood by the cell door, taking turns looking at Stefan, who was still locked up inside. I rubbed my arms slowly, feeling a bit cold in only my PJ's. Elena and I had both been staying at the Salvatore boarding house, trying to help Stefan through his rough period, but we weren't making any real progress, at least not in my opinion.

Damon tried calling his name once or twice, but Stefan seemed to be in his own world at the moment.

"Stefan," Elena tried as well, but no response came. "I love you, Stefan," she said, looking at him sadly. My heart dropped slightly at her tone. She sounded so lost, but yet hopeful. She refused to believe that the Stefan she knew was gone forever; I did too. These last couple of days I had actually considered opening up my mind to mind reading again, just see what was going through Stefan's head at the moment, but then I remembered that I had wanted to give people their privacy and chose not to go down that road again.

I walked up to Elena and patted her shoulder, peaking inside at Stefan, who sat with his head down, refusing to look at either of us.

"It's so hard to see him locked up like this," I said.

"You two were the ones who locked him up," Damon mocked.

I snapped my head in his direction. "You helped."

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people while the town was looking for vampires now, could I?" he replied. I shook my head at him.

"So it had nothing to do with you actually caring about him?" Elena interjected.

"Your thing, not mine," Damon answered. A moment later, his eyes flashed to me, and I could sense that he wasn't telling the truth. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, he actually did care about Stefan. At least enough to not let him get himself killed by the Council.

"Well, I'm going to go make us some coffee," I said, walking away from them and up the stairs.

After turning on the coffee machine, I started making some sandwiches for me and Elena. She was going to school today, but only because I was actually forcing her to go. I had lied and told her that I wasn't feeling very well, which was actually partially true. I was feeling slightly confused at the moment, mostly because of Damon. I wasn't sure what I felt for him at the moment. I had always cared about him, in a completely friendly way, but then he went and kissed me at the Miss Mystic pageant a couple of days ago, and even though I told him that I wasn't sure it should happen again, I couldn't get the kiss out of my head.

"You really aren't coming to school today?" Elena asked from behind me, making me jump.

"Shit Elena," I said, letting out a breath. "You scared me."

"Sorry," she said, smiling lightly. "I didn't realize you were so deep in your own thoughts. What were you thinking of anyway?" she asked, looking at me curiously.

Memories of the kiss flooded through me again. "Nothing special," I lied. "And to answer your other question, no; I'm not going to school today since I'm still not feeling well."

"And yet you're making me go," Elena sighed as I handed her a sandwich and a cup of coffee.

"Yes, I am," I nodded. "Just because your boyfriend is in blood rehab, doesn't mean you should skip classes and fail. He'll get better soon and then you'll just be sorry you let school go in the first place."

"I actually hope you're right," she said, deep in thoughts. "But I need to get going. Walk me to the door?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sure." I followed her to the living room, where Damon stood, looking at an object that Pearl had given him.

"Have you figured out what that is yet?" I asked.

"Nope," he replied. "Whatever it is, it doesn't work."

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?" Elena asked.

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but that was a pocket watch," Damon explained. "That Jonathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist. Have you spoken to your uncle lately?" he asked Elena.

She shook her head. "I've been avoiding him, actually. That, and I've been here most nights," she said.

"So you'll be here again tonight?" Damon asked.

"Is that a problem?" Elena asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes, you're a complete nuisance," he said and Elena rolled her eyes.

"Or maybe you just want to be alone with someone," she suggested, her eyes traveling to me for a moment. I could feel a slight blush creep up my cheeks, but shook my head at her. Damon, however, didn't even comment on the matter, which was unusual for him. I had expected him to make some sort of sexual joke about it all.

"I'll see you guys later," Elena said.

"Bye Elena," I said as she walked out of the room. The second the door closed, I heard a flash. Damon had blurred over to me and was now leaning his chin on my shoulder, his hands on my hips.

"Elena's right you know, in a way," he said. "I _do _want some alone time with you."

I let out a sigh and pulled away from him. "It has been a while since the two of us have hung out as _friends_," I said, emphasizing the last word.

He rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you think Stefan will be alright if we leave him for a couple of hours and go for a walk?" I asked, biting my lip. Instantly, Damon's eyes fell, settling on my mouth.

"I think he'll be fine. I just need to get him to eat something first," he told me, holding up a bottle of blood. "It's all animal, so don't worry. I won't be feeding him any human blood any time soon."

"I trust you with him, Damon," I said. "And I know Elena does too, otherwise she would never have left to go to school today."

"Speaking of school," he said. "Why are you pretending to be sick?"

I shrugged. "I just didn't feel like going today. Elena's worried about Stefan, Caroline is out of town again and Bonnie isn't talking to me. Why should I go when I don't have anyone to talk to about normal stuff?"

"If you wanted normal, you wouldn't be hanging around vampires all day," Damon scoffed, reminding me of something I once told Elena.

"And I wouldn't be a witch either, but I can't exactly change that fact now, can I?" I said sarcastically. "I just need one day to relax and not hear people whining about everything that has been going on. I do have my own problems too you know," I said.

"Like what?" he chuckled.

"Like trying to figure out where Elena's birth mother is and learn more about my ancestry," I told him.

"I might be able to help with the second part of that sentence," Damon said. "But first I need to give my brother something to eat." He shook the bottle in his hand before walking toward the basement stairs.

"I'll go get changed and we'll talk after you give him his blood," I called after him, running upstairs to the bedroom I had slept in the last couple of days.

I walked over to my duffel bag in the corner and pulled out my loose fitting tank top, a pair of skinny jeans and a cream-ish beige colored linen cardigan. After putting on my clothes quickly, I pulled out my crochet _toms _that had a similar color as my cardigan. I grabbed my bag and hurried downstairs again, only to find Damon on the phone.

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?" Damon asked the caller. I looked at him strangely, and he made a few motions, suggesting someone shooting with a crossbow... What was Alaric Saltzman doing calling Damon? "What kind of digging?" Damon inquired, suddenly sounding interested. "Well, did he find anything?"

"Please put your phone on speaker," I groaned, wanting in on the conversation.

"Hold on Ric," Damon said, pulling away from the phone and turning to me. "Looks like your teacher has an old friend from Duke who did some digging on Elena's uncle Gilbert," he told me.

I reached for the phone, but Damon turned around, not letting me get it.

"As I said, did he find anything?" Damon repeated to Alaric. I once again tried jumping for the phone, but Damon grabbed me with one hand and held me in a firm grip before twisting me around, so that my back was against his front, with his one arm holding both of mine in place by my sides.

"Isobel knows John. Whatever," Damon said, struggling to keep me from not moving. I was pretty much jumping on his feet at the moment, but he wouldn't budge. "We knew that... Isobel's in Grove Hill?" He paused, and I took the chance. I stomped on his foot, and elbowed him in the gut, making him drop the phone in surprise. I lifted it from the floor and put it on speaker phone.

"Isobel is in Grove Hill?" I asked, out of breath from all the jumping.

"_Stephanie? What are you doing there?_" Alaric asked, sounding surprised to hear my voice.

"It's not important," I told him. "Are you sure Isobel is in Grove Hill?" I repeated, which only caused my teacher to sigh.

"_I don't know. I thought Damon and I could take a look and see what we find,_" he suggested.

"Perfect," Damon agreed. "Give me the address."

"_Oh, so you can go without me? No, I don't think so,_" Alaric scoffed. I took out my phone, and dialed a number.

"I'm not going with you," Damon said. "You tried to kill me."

"Yeah, well, you _did _kill me," Alaric argued.

Damon looked at the screen, picking up his phone again. "Hold on," he told Ric. "What?" he replied to the other caller.

"I'm going with you," I spoke loudly into the phone, making him jump. He turned to look at me, shaking his head.

"No way," he said, hanging up and going back to his conversation with Ric. "You drive. Pick me up in an hour," he ordered Ric before hanging up and turning back to me.

"You have no right to keep me inside this house against my own will," I told him. "You know that I'll probably just follow you and Ric as soon as you get on the road. Why not save me the trouble and take me with you?" I asked.

"You aren't going. It could be dangerous for you," he stated.

"Since when do you care? I thought that was mine and Elena's thing, not yours," I sarcastically remarked.

His eyes darkened for a moment. I knew he knew I was right. He would just never admit that he actually cared. "Why would you want to meet Isobel anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Haven't I already told you once?" I asked, trying to remember if I had. "Anyway, isn't it obvious? She knew my aunt Adeline. Maybe she knows what happened to her? I want to know, and if Alaric has a clue to where she might be, I want in on the trip," I rambled. "Besides, I'm a Blake witch. I can take care of myself," I pointed out.

"Yeah, until one emotion gets the best of you and you freeze," Damon snapped.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "That will not happen," I stubbornly said. "Either I go with you, or I'll go by myself."

Damon seemed to have an inner battle for a moment. "Fine," he finally said. "But I won't watch you. Out there you're on your own," he told me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not as if it's a battlefield out there Damon. Relax," I said, a smile finally appearing on my lips. "Who knows, we might not even find Isobel there."

"That's why you shouldn't waste your time coming with us," he said.

"But you _might _find her, and that's reason enough to come," I replied smartly.

He shook his head at me. "Whatever Stephanie."

I decided it was best to leave it at that. I was coming with them and that was final. Instead, I decided to change the subject. "Did Stefan drink his puppy-blood?" I asked.

A smirk appeared on Damon's lips, but his eyes didn't seem to hold any kind of amusement. "No, he didn't drink his- as you so sweetly put it- _puppy-blood_," he said.

"Why not?"

"He's trying to starve himself."

"_What?_" I jumped. "You can't let him do that! He'll die!"

"He's just being dramatic," Damon shrugged. "He feels bad for the things he's done, and this is his way of dealing. It'll pass. Don't worry about it."

"How can I _not _worry about it?" I asked. "The only thing he did was hurt that poor girl, but she's better and already back in school," I pointed out.

"He also attacked _you,_" Damon said. Something in his voice changed at that moment... Almost as if the thought angered him.

"But Bonnie protected me," I said. "He didn't hurt me. It's nothing really."

"But he _could _have," Damon stubbornly continued. "And that's enough for me- I mean _him_."

I looked at him for a moment. His little slip-up inquired that he was still mad at Stefan for attacking me, which made no sense whatsoever, since he clearly pointed out earlier today that he didn't care about anyone besides himself (which I still didn't believe).

"There's more to it, isn't there?" I asked.

"What ever could you mean my dear Steffy?" Damon asked, in an old southern accent.

"He's feeling guilty about other things as well," I said, trying to put the pieces together. "Damon, tell me," I demanded.

He looked at me for a few moments. "First of all, you look really hot when you're trying to get me to do things," he said, not even trying to cover up the double meaning behind his words. "And secondly, _no_."

"Please Damon," I pleaded, ignoring his first comment. "Please tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

"I know you won't, I just don't want to get into the whole 'How-I-Became-A-Vampire'-story," he shrugged.

I watched him carefully. "You mean this has to do with the way you turned? He's feeling guilty about something that happened in 1864?"

It all sounded crazy. 145 years had passed; Why should he feel guilt about something that happened so long ago?

"Let's just say that Stefan hasn't always been a saint," Damon said, sounding distant. "When we woke up after our father shot us, we were transitioning. I didn't want to turn because I thought Katherine was dead, and neither did Stefan for a little while."

"You mean you didn't want to be a vampire?" I asked, shocked at his revelation. It had never been a secret that Damon relished in being immortal. He loved it, it seemed. I just couldn't imagine him ever _not_ wanting the life he had today.

"I wanted it, when Katherine was alive. I didn't know she hadn't burned in the church, so I thought there was no point in completing the transformation," he explained.

"Okay, but if Stefan didn't want to turn either, why are you both here today then?"

Damon frowned for a moment. "Why do you care?" he asked, almost suspiciously.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "One of my best friends is locked up in a cell because he's being suicidal," I pointed out. "What do you think?"

"Point taken," Damon said, checking his invisible watch. "But look at the time, we need to go."

"Alaric isn't even here yet-" I began, just as the doorbell rang. Shooting one last look at Damon, I grabbed my bag and walked towards the door. "Sometimes your hearing actually scares me. I mean, you could be able to hear me talk in my sleep through the window while stalking me," I joked.

Damon smirked, opening his mouth to say something (probably inappropriate), but I opened the door before he had the chance to.

Alaric looked at me and then at Damon. "Ready?" he asked.

Damon and I looked at each other before nodding.

We drove to Alaric's apartment, where he explained to us where the house was. I looked at the street names, trying to see if I recognized any of them.

"This is the one," Alaric said, pointing at a house. "The records show it was paid for three months in advance."

"This is where it gets tricky," Damon said. "I may or may not be able to get in."

"Yeah, how does that work?" Alaric asked. "You always have to be invited in?"

"Yes, he does. By the owner or the person of entitlement," I replied. Damon looked at me curiously. "I've done my research," I shrugged. "I don't know about hotels though," I admitted.

"Short-term rentals and hotels are a bit of a gray area," Damon explained. "You kind of gotta play it by ear."

Alaric and I nodded, seeing some logic in his words.

"Could we not kill anyone tonight, please?" Alaric asked Damon as we headed for the door.

"You mean, you just brought me for my company?" Damon joked, acting offended, before stepping out of the apartment. Alaric looked at me and I shrugged.

"You were the one who decided to call him," I told him, before following Damon out.

-Deffy-

"Remind me again why I let you come along?" Damon asked.

"Because I didn't ask," I told him.

Alaric snickered, shaking his head at us both. "You two argue like an old couple," he told us. "When did you get together?" he asked.

"We're _not _together," I replied quickly. "Damon's just very immature, and I can't stand it when people don't act their age."

"Oh please, Steffy," Damon said. "If I were to act my age, I would be pretending I'm dead."

It was such a lame attempt at a joke, that I didn't even try commenting on it. I just shot him a glare, and he smirked, almost as if he knew what I was thinking.

"You could have fooled me," Alaric said. "All this..._tension_ going on between the two of you..." he trailed off, pulling up by a house. "We're here."

We stepped out of the car and headed up the driveway to the front door. I turned to look at the two men.

"So how do we do this?" I asked.

"Like this," Damon answered, opening the door. Alaric immediately stepped inside.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," he said. Damon grabbed my hand and tried to take his foot past the threshold, succeeding.

"Yeah, I'm good," he said, stepping inside, pulling me along. "No permanent resident, apparently."

I pulled my hand away from Damon's grip, walking over to the fridge. I opened it and saw a couple of blood bags. _Vampires_.

"Uh, Damon?" I called. Damon flashed to me in an instant. He looked at the blood bags.

"Ric, we have company," he said, just as a man jumped on Alaric. I looked at my teacher who was quick to respond to the attack by stabbing the vampire with wooden knuckles. As the man went to attack Alaric again, I put my hand out, feeling the familiar warmth spread through my fingers a millisecond before the vampire fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain. Alaric went to jump him again, but Damon stopped him.

"People, people, that's enough," he said, looking down at the vampire who had just stopped screaming after I stopped my attack. "I know you," he suddenly said, frowning.

"Damon?" the vampire asked.

"Your name is Henry," Damon said. "You were in the tomb."

"Yes, sir," Henry, the vampire, responded. "What are you doing here?" His eyes moved curiously to me. "And with a witch, nevertheless."

Damon and Alaric took to asking Henry a couple of questions about John Gilbert while I looked around the house. I tried to feel around mentally as well, trying to sense if any witches had been here recently, but I came up empty handed. I walked back to the room where the boys were.

"So, do you live here alone or is there someone else here?" Alaric asked.

"That's my friends very... Passive-agressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Damon said nicely.

Henry looked at him strangely. "No. I don't know an Isobel. I know John. He's my only real friend," Henry replied, and I tried not to laugh at that. John Gilbert, someone's _friend_? That was an amusing thought. "He really showed me the ropes; How to use a microwave, separate my whites," Henry continued.

"What else do you do for him?" Alaric asked.

"I keep an eye on things... You know, with the others," Henry explained.

"The others?" I asked, finally making myself heard.

Henry looked over at me. "From the tomb," he explained. "They're still pissed at the founding families for trying to burn them alive. I'm cool, but those tomb boys, they want revenge."

"But what does John want with them?" I asked.

"He's just keeping an eye on them, you know? Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble," Henry said.

I looked over at Damon. John was obviously planning something, because he got Henry wrapped around his finger with lies. "Well, that's John," Damon chuckled fakely. "He's such a do-gooder."

Henry looked between the two of us. "So how long have you two been together?" he asked.

"We're _not _together," Damon and I said at the same time, except he sounded as if he was mocking me.

"You sure?" Henry asked. "There's a lot of- What do you call it?- _Sexual tension_, between the two of you."

"Tension doesn't automatically mean that you're together," I said. "Not that there is any tension between us," I quickly clarified. "Can we please just go back to speaking of John, and how he's such a do-gooder?"

A phone went off. Henry looked at his pocket, taking out a cell-phone.

"That's John now," he chuckled. _Speak of the Devil_.

"Oh," Damon said. "Hey, let me talk to him."

"Alright," Henry said, handing over the phone to Damon. A couple fo seconds passed. Everyone kept looking at the phone. Henry looked at Damon confused. "Are you gonna answer that?" he asked.

Damon looked at me and Alaric. "Am I gonna...answer that?" he asked us, but Ric shook his head.

"What's going on?"Henry asked, just before he jumped up, running at me. Damon acted just in time and grabbed him from behind, pulling him back from me. Alaric ran forward and stabbed the vampire in the heart with a stake.

I took a few deep breaths, watching Henry turn gray before Damon dropped him to the floor.

"'Let's not kill anyone tonight.' Your words," Damon said, looking at Alaric. "Just pointing that out." He walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You okay?" he whispered, looking down at me.

My reply was a nod. "We need to look for anything that might have to do with Isobel," I told him.

"Let's go then," he replied, before blurring off into the other room. Alaric and I spread out as well, looking for anything that might help us find the person we were looking for.

Two hours passed and we couldn't find a single thing that might lead us to where Isobel might be, or her connection to John. Alaric and I met by the stairs and walked over to the room where Damon was.

"Find anything yet?" Damon asked.

"No, we looked everywhere," I replied.

"The place is... The place is clean," Alaric said, sounding incredibly disappointed.

"Well, I found this," Damon said, holding up something useless. "Behind the blood in the fridge."

"Oh man, this was a real dead-end," Alaric said.

"I wouldn't beat myself up over it, man," Damon said. "What did you think you were going to find, huh? Isobel with a cigar and slippers?" I tried hard not to snicker, because I knew how much this must be killing Alaric.

"I gotta stop this. I can't- I can't keep searching for her," Alaric sighed.

"Really?" Damon said. "After only 2 years? That's actually...moderately healty," he joked.

I rolled my eyes at him. "What are you going on? 146?" I asked sarcastically.

Damon looked at me and smirked. "Well, I figure the 200 mark is probably a good stopping point," he shrugged, walking over to me.

Alaric only shook his head. "I mean, no answer is enough. I keep thinking I wanna know why, when, you know, the precise moment," he said.

I looked at him confused. "What moment?" I asked curiously.

"When my wife decided life with me wasn't enough," he clarified, and I instantly felt sorry for him. I couldn't imagine what he had gone trough since he realized that Isobel was still alive. Thinking that she was dead because a vampire killed her must've hurt enough, but then he'd at least be able to get his revenge. Now he had no excuse whatsoever to even try to get revenge on Damon, when he knew that Isobel had left him, just to be immortal.

"She charmed me," Damon said. "Your wife Isobel. She talked a good game, man. She was smart. She had this excitement in her eyes. I probably should have known there was something different about her, some tie to Katherine." The mention of Katherine's name went as a current through me. Some kind of bitterness filled me and I just wanted to get out of the room for some reason. "There had to be a reason I didn't kill her," Damon continued.

"That's enough, Damon," Alaric interrupted. "I don't want to hear anymore. I just don't want to waste any more of my life," he said.

"You're just searching for answers that you really don't want," I told him. "It's better to let go and move on."

"Like you have, you mean?" Damon asked. "You're just as obsessed with getting answers, even though you might not like them."

"Do you know something that I don't, Damon?" I snapped. "With me it's something else entirely. I found out I was a witch just a few months ago, and I _need_ to learn about my family. If you don't like it, get out, because last time I checked, I never invited you to come along on the ride." I let out a breath, glaring at Damon for angering me.

Looking back at me, he smirked. He had that 'I'm-undressing-you-with-my-eyes'-look. "You look so incredibly hot when you get mad at me," he told me.

Alaric shook his head. "I'm done with all of this," he said. "I'm through with Isobel, and everything else."

"Let's go home," I said, already heading for the door.

"Let's," Damon agreed, not saying another word.

Halfway to Mystic Falls, Alaric fell asleep in the car. Damon and I weren't talking, but there wasn't any kind of uncomfortable tension between us either. Suddenly, my phone started ringing, breaking the silence.

I picked it up. "Hello Elena," I answered after checking the caller-ID. "What's up?"

"_Hi Steffy,_" she replied. "_I just bumped into my uncle John..._" she trailed off.

"What did he say?" I sighed.

"_Well, first of all, he knows that Damon and Stefan are vampires,_" she began. "_And secondly, he kept going on about __**you**__._"

"Me?" I turned to look at Damon, who was obviously listening to our conversation. _No privacy amongst vampires..._"What did he say?" I asked.

"_Some weird stuff about your family being treacherous vampire-lovers,_" she said. "_It didn't even make any sense, considering that most of your family is-_"

"Dead?" I suggested.

"_Yeah, sorry,_" she said.

"It's okay... But you're right, it doesn't make any sense. He knows about me being a witch too, and he keeps talking to me as if he knows something about me that I don't even know," I said, thinking back at all the times he had talked to me. "Hey, Elena. We're on our way home, okay? I'll talk to you later."

"_Okay, bye Steph_!"

"Bye," I said, hanging up. "Do you have anything to add?" I asked Damon, who shrugged.

"This might have to do with something that happened in 1864," he said.

"You mean John hates me because of something that happened 145 years ago?"

"Well, he hates vampires because of his family's legacy, right? Why shouldn't he hate you for what your 'treacherous' ancestors did?" Damon suggested.

"Can't you just tell me, or do I have to beg?" I groaned.

"I'll tell you," he replied. "You'll be begging for other things soon enough anyway." I smacked him as hard as I could on the arm, but it didn't have any effect at all. "Anyway, it all happened after Stefan and I turned-"

"You were telling me about that earlier," I pointed out. "You said something about Stefan not being a saint and you not wanting to turn."

"Long story short: Stefan accidentally killed out father and drank his blood, which caused him to turn. Afraid that he would be alone for all of eternity, he brought me a girl from the village and practically forced me to feed from her. He has never forgiven himself for that, which is why his suicidal tendencies have been awakened after recent events," Damon rambled.

"Oh God..." I mumbled, thinking about the way Stefan had lost control with Amber during the Miss Mystic pageant. "But what does all of this have to do with my ancestors?" I asked.

"After we turned, I wanted to keep a low profile for a while. After all, I had just witnessed 27 vampires burn in the church and I didn't want a repeat of that. Stefan, however, was high on human blood and went on a killing spree, murdering as many Founder's as he could. He tried killing Charlotte Blake, your great-great-great-something-grandmother, but he didn't know she was a witch, and she easily over-powered him," Damon explained. "When she realized what had happened to us, she and the rest of your ancestors took us in for a while, protecting us from the other Founders, and in turn exiling themselves. They became outcasts, but they insisted that there was still good in us."

"This Charlotte, were you friends with her?" I asked.

"We weren't the closest, but we weren't enemies either," Damon shrugged. "I thought she had a crush on me for a while, but then suddenly one day, when a merchant came to town, she fell head over heels with him and he with her. It was kind of strange actually, like she just did a 360 and no one else mattered anymore," he said.

"Strange..." I mumbled. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I didn't think it was relevant," he answered. "I mean, it's not as if something that happened 145 years ago can help you find your aunt, am I right?" he asked.

"I guess," I replied, looking out the window. "Could you drive me home? I need to get some new clothes."

"Sure. I'll drop you off first and then I'll drop your teacher off at the Grill. Something tells me he's in desperate need of a drink," Damon smirked, looking at Alaric, who was still sleeping in the backseat.

I packed down a few shirts and another pair of jeans. Who knew how long I would be staying at the Boarding house? Better pack more, than less. I carried my duffel-bag downstairs, only to be met by my aunt Liz.

"Aunt Liz," I said, giving her a brief hug. "Just the person I wanted to see. I have a little question," I told her, showing her the small space between my thumb and index finger.

"Oh, hello to you too, little miss 'I'm-sleeping-over-at-my-friend's-house,'" aunt Liz laughed. "Ask away and I'll try to give you some answers."

"I've been reading some books on the towns history, and I got really interested in the founding families," I lied. "The thing is that every family has it's story written down, except for the Blake's, so I'm just wondering if you know what happened to the original Blake family?" I asked.

First aunt Liz looked kind of taken aback by my question, but then she seemed to consider it for a moment. "Well, some of them moved out of Mystic Falls, and the ones that stayed must've lost the family name after a few generations, I guess," she suggested. "I think your grandmother was the first Blake in over 100 years that returned to Mystic Falls, with her family of course. Then after your father and my sister got married, and your father died in that car crash, they moved away."

"My mom didn't want to stay in Mystic Falls, she told me that once," I said. "She told me it hurt too much, or something like that."

"I understood, you know," aunt Liz said. "I wanted to go with her, but I just couldn't leave everything behind like she did. She wanted a whole new life, where you could be safe."

Safe? Safe from _what_?

"Is there anything left from the original Blake's?" I asked.

Aunt Liz thought about it for a moment. "Just old ruins from their original estate, next to the old Salvatore estate," she said.

"Thanks aunt Liz," I said, kissing her cheek before grabbing my bag. "I'll probably be back home in a few days. Love you!" I called before running out to my car.

It didn't take long for me to get to the old Salvatore estate that Damon had once showed me. It felt as if some invisible string was pulling me in a certain direction. Soon enough, I stopped, looking down at ground before me. It felt as if some kind of energy was running through me. _Magic. _The place was loaded with it. I took a deep breath through my nose, focusing my eyes on something in the distance. What was I looking for...?

_Answers_.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. My heartbeat sped up instantly, as I prepared myself to attack whatever it was. I heard a twig snap and turned around, my hands up, already warm with energy. I stopped.

"Demetria," I whispered, seeing the young woman that had haunted me a couple of months ago. Chills went through me when I realized that I was once again seeing a ghost. I drew in a sharp breath when my dead aunt lifted her arm and pointed at something to her right. I looked in the direction of her pale fingers, realizing she was pointing at a tree. I slowly walked towards the tree, looking for anything that might seem out of order. It didn't take long to see the mark that was carved in it, and I recognised it immediately. How could I not, considering that I wore the same mark around my neck? The Blake family's crest.

I touched the mark and turned to look at Demetria, but I saw nothing. She must have disappeared as soon as I understood where to look... But what was I looking for?

I knelt down, touching the tree's bark. I stood up again and slowly walked around the tree. Tilting my head sideways, I knelt down again and knocked on the bark. It sounded as if it wasn't solid. I stood up, taking a step back, before kicking at the foot of the tree. After just a few kicks, a hole opened up. I sat down again and put my hand inside the hole, feeling around for anything out of the ordinary. My fingertips touched something hard and I wrapped my fingers around the item before pulling it out.

I looked at the thing in my hands and wiped away the dirt, unwrapping it. It was a book. I opened it and my heart sped up as I read the name: _Charlotte Blake_. It was a journal, dated 1864.

"What a coincidence," I said to myself, putting the book in my bag before heading back to my car. I had one last stop to make before driving to the Boarding house.

I pulled up by the little house I remembered that Stefan had once been a prisoner in. I knocked on the door, calling out Pearl's name as I did.

"How can I help you, Stephanie Blake?" Pearl asked once she opened the door. "I wouldn't want you to keep yelling out my name so that the entire town can hear you..."

I rolled my eyes at her attempt at sarcasm, before remembering that this vampire was even older than Damon, which meant that she was stronger as well.

"I have a question," I said. "If it's not too much to ask."

She looked at me curiously. "Who told you I'm leaving town?" she asked.

"You're leaving town?" I asked, surprised by this. "Does this mean that Anna is leaving too?"

"No, she wants to stay," Pearl said, sounding disappointed.

"Jeremy," I realized and Pearl nodded.

"It will only bring her heart ache," she sighed, but she didn't seem to want to go into it any deeper. She shook her head before turning back to me. "What did you want to ask? Do it quickly because I need to leave soon."

"Why haven't you tried to hurt me?" I asked. "I've been thinking about that time you said that you don't want to get involved with my family because of my ancestry. Why?"

Her lip seemed to twitch slightly. "Because," she replied. "Your ancestors... They helped my daughter Anna escape after I was captured by the townsfolk," she said. "After Anna told me that Charlotte and her sister Emma helped her, and knew about us being vampires all along without exposing us, I figured I owed them as much as not hurting you in any way."

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting this new information sink in.

"Okay. Thank you for your honesty," I said.

"I hope you find what you're looking for Stephanie," Pearl said thoughtfully.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for anymore..." I mumbled. "Have a safe trip...or whatever..." I said, realizing how stupid I sounded. Of course she would have a safe trip. She was a vampire after all! My phone saved me from the embarrassing moment by ringing. I waved at Pearl before heading for my car, picking up the phone.

It was Elena, telling me that Stefan was safe. Apparently, he had gotten out of the house after Elena stupidly left his door open for him to make a choice. After Damon told her the entire story behind his brother's behavior, she had run after him and convinced him that he had something that was worth living for. Stefan would be sleeping over at Elena's house tonight, and Elena had just wanted to fill me on everything.

After hanging up, I decided that I still wanted to go to the Boarding house. I had told my aunt that I would be away for a couple of days anyway, so why not make good on that? I could use the time I had to read through Charlotte's journal and learn more about my ancestry instead of thinking about Isobel and Adeline.

I drove to the Boarding house and walked in without knocking. I threw my duffel bag on the floor and laid down on the couch. A few moments later, Damon walked into the room.

"You're still here?" he groaned. "I thought Elena told you that Stefan was fine again?" he said before lifting my feet up to sit down. He put my feet on his lap and I looked at him over Charlotte's journal that I had just taken out.

"Yeah, she told me," I said. "She also told me that Stefan would be staying at her place tonight. Do you have a problem with me staying here a couple of nights?" I asked.

"You mean you want the two of us to have some alone-time?" Damon asked suggestively, drawing circles on my leg.

"No," I answered. "I mean that I want to have some alone-time away from everyone so that I can read _this _in peace," I said, holding up the diary. "I found it today, it's Charlotte's journal." I handed it to Damon who looked impressed.

"You were busy while Elena was screwing up things with Stefan," he pointed out.

"Excuse you, Elena fixed things with Stefan," I scoffed.

"Depends on what your idea of a real vampire is," Damon said.

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled. "Now will you please leave me alone so I can read?"

"Sure," he said, handing the book back to me. "But I'd rather sit here and distract you with my presence," he told me.

"You can always _try_," I laughed. In less than a second, he had moved out from under my legs and was hovering above me, his face inches from mine.

"Oh I'll try," he whispered seductively before leaning down to kiss my jaw line. My breath caught in my throat as my thoughts traveled to what had happened at the pageant. "Have a good read Stephanie," Damon said, before blurring over to the armchair on the opposite side of me. I looked at him curiously.

"So you'll just sit there and stare at me then?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I could do other things that could keep us both occupied for a while, but I'm pretty sure you told me we shouldn't go there," he said.

"Right..." I said, not knowing why I was disappointed. "I'll get back to my journal now..." I said, looking back down at the book in my hands. I could still feel his intense stare. The tension was so thick I could cut it with a knife. I looked up once, and he smirked at me, almost as if he knew what I was thinking. I sighed deeply, going back to the book, hearing him let out a low chuckle.

Boy, this was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

_**A/N: So? What did you think? Personally, I don't really know. It's like I have all these ideas about Steffy and her ancestry, but I don't know how to put it down on paper without making it sound to complicated. Therefore, I'll keep writing like this: A little at a time. It'll give you time to process things and if there is something you don't understand, just ask me and I'll try to explain it to you in a PM! Along the way, some things that are left unexplained, will make sense to you!**_

_**Steffy's outfit for this chapter: www. polyvore** (dot com slash) **cgi /set?id=96787684**_

_**Also, don't forget that I have a tumblr page where you can read sneak peaks and see posters I have created for MTB! (author123456 **.**tumblr **(dot com)_

_**Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and I'm really sorry for not updating sooner!**  
_

_**Have a nice day!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


	22. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Okay, I know it's been ages since I updated, but I've really had a lot of things going on in school and so on! I'm sorry, but here's a 9,771 word long chapter for you all to read!**_

_**Next one is the season 1 finale and I have a feeling it's going to be angsty! I have it planned out, but I haven't started writing it yet so don't expect it until at least two weeks from now! I want PERFECTION for you guys!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter 21: Isobel**

I looked at the notes in front of me. _Charlotte & family took in Salvatore brothers after turning 1864 – Charlotte moved away from MF with husband 1865 – Met husband 1862 – Sudden change in behavior after meeting husband. _The post-its were everywhere. I moved over to the other part of my notes. These were mostly about my aunt Adeline, following the death of my father and other aunt. I was trying to map out everything I already knew about her, so that I could track her down, but at the same time learn more about the previous Blake witches.

"_I have never in my life felt something so strong for someone,_" I whispered to myself as I read Charlotte's journal. "_I thought Damon Salvatore would be the only man I would ever have feelings for. However, when I met Samuel at the market in Jamestown, it felt as if I would never be able to take another breath without him_." I frowned to myself, taking out another blue post-it, writing '_sudden change of behavior & feelings_' on it before putting it on my "Blake-board".

A knock on the door made me jump.

"Ouch!" Caroline screeched. "Steffy, why is your door locked?" she asked.

"Just a second!" I called back, quickly putting my notes and boards, along with Charlotte's journal in my closet where I also kept my grimoarie. I hurried back to the door and opened it, only to be met by a sour looking Caroline.

"Don't lock your door unless you have a boy in here," she told me, making me laugh.

"Well, _that_ won't be happening any time soon," I chuckled, pulling on my boots.

"How do you know? You and Damon have been spending a lot of time together recently," she pointed out. "Even if I don't necessarily like it and I hope you find someone else, it's pretty easy to figure out what you've been doing with him on your late nights."

"Caroline!" I gasped. "I would _never_-"

"I mean, Damon is very good looking and all, so I understand that there is some kind of attraction between the two of you," Caroline continued, not even listening to me. "I have Matt now anyway, so I don't really care what _he _does, as long as he doesn't hurt your feelings, because then I'll make sure he can never have kids."

I almost laughed at the irony of her words. "Thank you Caroline, really," I said. "But Damon and I are just friends. There's nothing going on between us." _Except for maybe some intense sexual tension_, my brain told me, and instantly butterflies were activated in the pit of my stomach, as I remembered the hot kiss we'd shared in the bathroom during the Miss Mystic pageant.

"Whatever Steffy," Caroline shrugged. "We need to get going now. Or else we're going to be late."

"Yeah... I know," I muttered. Today was the first day in maybe a week that I had decided to go to school. I had had an excuse to stay home when Stefan was "sick", but now that he was already doing a lot better, there wasn't any point in staying at the boarding house anymore. Besides, the one night I had slept there after Stefan got better, Damon had taken every chance he could to drop a sexual innuendo or just simply _touch_ me every now and then. For example, when I had decided to take a shower, he had "accidentally" walked in while I was getting dressed, even though I was one hundred percent sure I had locked the door. He wouldn't let me read Charlotte's journal either, insisting that we should use the time we had alone wisely. We ended up staring at each other from the opposite sides of the room, just to see who would crack first. Damon had actually been the one to look away first, muttering about "stubborn Blake witches" or something.

The real reason that I was avoiding school however, was that Bonnie was back. Even though she had been at the Miss Mystic pageant and saved me from Stefan, we still weren't talking. The whole situation made me feel awkward, so I had decided it was better to just avoid it at all costs.

"The plan for today is simple," Caroline said, interrupting my thoughts.

"What plan?" I asked.

"The one to get you and Bonnie to talk again!" Caroline exclaimed. I looked at her strangely for a moment. It was almost as if she had read my mind...

"Bonnie and I are going through something strange right now," I tried. "It'll probably pass soon anyway. We don't need a plan to fix anything."

"Well, since Elena and Bonnie are fighting too, and you and Elena are getting along perfectly fine, I figured I would hang with Bonnie today and try to figure out what this is all about, while you keep hanging with Elena," Caroline explained.

"Okay," I replied. "But don't make Bonnie think I made you snoop, because that is the last thing I need right now."

Caroline just smiled widely at me. "Oh if there's one thing I'm good at, it's getting people to tell me things," she said, getting up. "I'll wait for you downstairs," she told me and walked out.

I sighed deeply, before grabbing my bag and heading out myself.

-Deffy-

Caroline grabbed the sleeve of my jacket as we walked into the school to stop me.

"Okay, don't forget that you and Elena are signed up for float building duty. Feel free to come up with ideas, but know that I probably won't be using them," she winked before heading off to find Bonnie. I shook my head, regretting that I ever agreed to help, before walking up to Elena and Stefan who were standing by Stefan's locker.

"Stefan, how are you doing?" I asked as I approached them.

"I'm better," he said. "Steffy, I think I need to apologize for what happened at the pageant... I lost control, I never meant to attack you..." he trailed off, struggling for words.

"It's okay Stefan," I smiled at him sympathetically. "You weren't yourself."

He looked down a little, almost as if he was ashamed of something. "Yeah... Not myself..." he mumbled, but I heard him perfectly fine.

Just as I was about to ask him about it, Elena interrupted. "He's been doing a lot better," she told me. "He really does feel sorry for everything that happened."

"I know," I told her. "You don't have to tell me twice." It wasn't exactly a rude reply, but Elena did seem taken aback by my curtness. "Look, I just want to forget that all of that even happened," I tried. I didn't want to keep getting reminded of the pageant, because then my mind automatically went back to the bathroom on the second floor, and how Damon's lips had melted so perfectly against mine. Inwardly, I shuddered. "Let's just get to class," I said and they nodded, agreeing as we walked to the classroom.

Before we could enter however, Alaric walked up to us and stopped us.

"Hey Mr. Saltzman," Elena greeted, trying to sound normal around all the other students that were currently in the hallway. I looked at our teacher-slash-vampire hunting friend and frowned.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, sensing a change in the atmosphere around us.

"Come with me," Alaric said. "We need to talk."

I glanced at Elena and Stefan who seemed hesitant before rolling my eyes and following Alaric. They weren't slow to follow my lead as the teacher led us into an empty classroom.

"So tell us," I said, sitting down on the teacher's desk. "What's going on?"

"Isobel," Alaric said, sounding strangled as he spoke. "I saw her last night."

My jaw dropped slightly. "What? Isobel? As in, your dead wife and Elena's dead mother who was turned a vampire by Damon?" Alaric nodded. "Well what does she want?" I pressed, ignoring Elena's strange look. I understood how she must feel. Finding out that Isobel had been turned by Damon had been hard on her. What had been even worse was to find out that she didn't want anything to do with Elena. And now, suddenly having her show up in Mystic Falls... Well; something was definitively up.

"She wants to see Elena," Alaric told us, looking at my friend before turning to me. "And you too, Steffy. I'm supposed to set up a meeting. If I don't, she'll start killing people." Silence filled the room for a moment and I looked down in my lap, a million thoughts running through my mind.

The door opened suddenly and Damon sauntered in.

"Damon," Alaric greeted. "Thanks for coming."

"Sorry I'm late," Damon grinned. "My dog ate my...uh..." he trailed off as my head snapped up to meet his gaze. "Never mind," he said, stopping his bad joke immediately. He looked from me, to Stefan and Elena and then back to me. "What's with all the furrowed brows?" he asked confused.

"I saw Isobel last night," Alaric said, getting straight to the point.

"Isobel is here?" Damon asked and Alaric nodded. "In town?" Once again Alaric nodded and Damon looked at me. I was still sitting on the teacher's desk and turned to look at Elena, who was looking a little pale.

"Well, did you ask her about Uncle John?" Damon asked Alaric. "Are they working together?"

"No," Alaric replied.

"No they're not?" Damon asked for clarification.

"No, I didn't ask," Alaric said, his arms crossed defensively.

"What about the invention?" Damon pressed.

"Didn't ask."

"Did she know about the tomb vampires?"

"I don't know."

"Did words _completely _escape you?" Damon asked annoyed at Alaric's lack of answers.

Alaric glared at him. "No, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions," he replied sarcastically.

"Damon," I said in a warning tone. He had that murderous look on his face. He looked at me and seemed to take a small breath to calm himself down. He turned to look at Elena instead.

"What did she want?" he asked, leaving the question open for anyone to answer.

"She wants to see me, Damon," Elena said, her voice trembling slightly. "Me _and _Steffy," she added, nodding my way.

"What?" Damon asked confused, looking over at me again. My eyes met his and this time I didn't look away.

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting," Stefan explained. "We don't know why or what she wants."

Damon frowned again. "Now, on some level it makes sense that she would want to meet Elena, considering that she is her daughter and all, but why would she want to meetSteffy?" he asked, looking at me as if I had the answers.

"How would I know?" I asked, shaking my head, looking away for a moment before turning back to look at Damon.

His expression softened slightly. "You don't have to see her if you don't want to," he told me. I was taken aback by his softness and as I looked at Stefan, I could tell that he was just as surprised as I was.

"Neither of us have much of a choice," Elena told Damon.

"She threatened to go on a killing spree," I explained to Damon.

He paused for a moment. "Oh, I take it that's not okay with you guys?" he asked and I just glared at him.

"I want to do it," Elena said, looking over at me. "I want to meet her because if I don't, I know I'll regret it," she said.

I nodded at her. "In that case I'll be there with you, Elena," I said, smiling weakly. Elena smiled back and turned to Alaric.

"Arrange the meeting," she told him. "We'll see you all after class." She took Stefan's hand and walked out the door with him, not letting anyone else speak. Alaric looked at Damon and me and then at the door, looking torn on whether or not it was safe to leave me and Damon alone. Finally, he mumbled something about calling Isobel and getting to class and walked out of the classroom, but not before shooting Damon a warning look. The door was still open, but Damon blurred over to it and locked it, before blurring over to me and standing in front of me.

"You're just meeting with Isobel because of Elena," he stated. "You don't really want to meet her, do you?"

I rolled my eyes at him and shifted slightly on the desk. "I want to know what she knows about Adeline," I told him. "I want to meet her, just as much as Elena wants to."

"No you don't," Damon scoffed. "You're scared you'll find something you don't like and that's why ever single cell of your witchy body is telling you to run the other way."

"It doesn't even matter, Damon!" I exclaimed. "Isobel had threatened to _kill_ people and I know that human life doesn't mean much to you, but it does to me."

"You're infuriating," Damon told me. "But I kind of like that about you," he smirked, taking a step closer. He looked down at me and I had to lean away from him because of the sudden closeness. I didn't want a repeat of the second floor bathroom here in school, but in a classroom, where anyone who had the key could walk in at any minute.

"Last time I checked, I told you to stop invading my personal bubble," I told him, reminiscing my speech to him about personal space and how he kept pushing at that barrier.

"Last time I checked," he mocked my voice before continuing in his usual one, "I haven't tried anything yet."

"You're obviously about to," I stated and he grinned at me, putting his hands on either side of me before leaning down closer.

"I can try to lie if it'll make you feel better," he suggested and I grinned at him, not being able to resist this cat-mouse game that we seemed to have gotten into.

"Then lie to me," I told him.

He thought about it for a moment, his eyes traveling down to my lips before looking up again. "The thought of you here on top of a teacher's desk isn't at all distracting," he lied and I grinned at hi, not really sure why I wasn't pushing him away. My brain seemed to be shouting different commandos at the same time. First it told me to punch him in the face and then it was telling me to grab him and kiss him senseless, like he had done to me at the pageant. It didn't make any sense to me, how my brain seemed to want to different things at the same time.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat. "I'm already late for class so any fantasy you have in that weird head of yours is going to have to wait." I mentally slapped myself for saying that.

"So you're telling me that my fantasies will come true then?" Damon smirked at my mistake and I shot him a glare, pushing him away from me. I hadn't used any force really, but he stepped back nevertheless.

"I'll see you after school Damon," I told him. "I'll ask Alaric to arrange the meeting some place public."

His playful look instantly turned serious. "I'll be there too, you know. Just so things won't get out of hand," he said. It was almost as if he was telling me that he would be there to watch over me so that Isobel wouldn't try anything.

"Thank you, Damon," I smiled. "Although, I do think I have it all under control."

"I don't doubt it," Damon grinned as I unlocked the door.

"I mean, it's not as if I can't just torch her brain and cut her vocal cords with a simple flick of my wrist before she can try something," I winked before stepping outside. Damon's low chuckle still echoed through my head as I stepped into the classroom, apologizing for being late.

-Deffy-

I was sitting next to Elena at the Grill, looking around to see if I could recognize Isobel anywhere. I was holding Elena's hand, reassuringly giving her a squeeze from time to time.

"Can you hear me?" Elena whispered, her lips barely moving. I looked over at Stefan who was standing by the pool table, watching us. "Thanks for coming," Elena continued. "I'm nervous." Stefan's lips turned up in a smile. "I'm happy that you're here. I love you," Elena said as Stefan mouthed the words back to her. I nearly gagged right there. Stefan and Damon had argued for quite a bit on which one of them would be in the Grill with us and who would stay outside with Alaric. I had argue that Stefan should be there for Elena, considering that he was her boyfriend and all. When I had spoken those words, Damon had looked at me strangely, almost as if he had wanted to protest. I knew however that he didn't have an argument against that. He and I weren't together and no matter how much he might care for me, he would never dare to voice it out loud and much less in front of a vampire hunter and his younger brother. Our connection, whatever it was, would make him seem weak in front of the others, so he had just shut up and agreed that Stefan should go in.

As I thought back to the look he had given me right before we walked in to the Grill, a woman walked over to our booth and sat down in front of us.

"Hello Elena," the woman, whom I recognized from the pictures of my aunt Adeline in school, said. She was looking at her daughter with a nearly blank expression. "You look just like her," Isobel stated. "That's eerie."

"You've met Katherine?" Elena asked, letting go of my hand as I sunk back in my seat.

"She found me after I turned," Isobel explained. "Genetic curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you." Something was definitively off by the way Isobel was talking. It sounded as if she couldn't care less about meeting her own daughter for the first time. It gave me goosebumps.

"Is that how you can walk in the day?" Elena asked, motioning to Isobel's necklace.

"Katherine helped me obtain it," Isobel smiled, yet still no emotion in her tone as she played with the pedant a bit.

"Who's my father?" Elena pressed.

"Not important," Isobel said. "He was a teenage waste of space." I couldn't exactly say that I was surprised by Isobel's reluctance to share her life story. The way she was talking, obviously said that she _didn't_ want to be here any more than I wanted to be here. She had yet to acknowledge my presence, but I wanted Elena to have a go with her questions first.

"A name would be nice," Elena said.

"It would, wouldn't it?" Isobel grinned. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Why did you compel that man to kill himself? Right after he told me to stop looking for you?" Elena continued pelting her biological mother with questions.

"Dramatic impact," Isobel admitted. "I wish it would have been more effective."

"Human life means that little to you?" Elena asked, her voice strained. She was obviously upset by the way Isobel was speaking.

"Means nothing to me," Isobel said. "It's just a part of being what I am."

"That's not true," I snapped, not being able to hold myself anymore. Isobel's eyes traveled to me as her lips curved up in a small smile. "Both Elena and I know other vampires. They all have their humanity intact," I told her. "Which you obviously _don't_."

"Well, well, well," Isobel said. "She speaks."

"I was trying to be nice and let Elena ask you her questions first so that the two of you could have some mother-daughter bonding time," I said. "But seeing as you're not giving her any answers, I'm guessing there's no point for me to ask about my aunt since you'll probably just annoy the living crap out of me if I tried."

Isobel looked amused before tuning back to Elena, ignoring me completely. "Your new boyfriend over there by the pool table? Stefan Salvatore," Isobel said and my eyes traveled to Stefan, who stood up a little straighter. "Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon?" Isobel pressed. "Or are you enjoying them both, like Katherine did?"

Elena and I stared at her. I knew it wasn't true, but the way Isobel had said it made it sound almost as if it was true. From afar I could see that Stefan was looking uncomfortable.

Isobel turned to me. "How does it feel to be left out of the love triangle?" she asked me, grinning wickedly. "It's obvious you care about Damon," she said. "Maybe you even love him?" she suggested. "But how could you compare to the love of his life that was Katherine Pierce? And how can you compare to my daughter, who looks exactly like Katherine? I'm sure Damon's only using you until Elena gets tired of Stefan over there," she said, motioning to Stefan.

"First of all, I don't love Damon and secondly, we're done here," I snapped, standing up from the table. Before I could walk away, I felt a tight grip on my wrist. It was nearly bone crushing and I winced, feeling as if something had snapped already.

"We're _not _done until I tell you we're done," Isobel snarled at me. "Sit _down_."

"If you don't let go of my wrist, I swear to got I will set you on fire," I threatened.

"No you won't," Isobel grinned. "Because compared to me, you _do_ feel something for humans and you won't risk hurting them, and much less, exposing yourself as a witch." I still didn't care. Isobel was digging her own grave with every word she was saying and I wanted to slam her head against the table with my own hands before making her brain explode.

A tug on my shirt made me come back from my dark thoughts. I looked down and saw Elena looking desperately at me.

"Please, Steph," she said, her eyes wide, almost as if I had said the words I had thought out loud.

"Let go of my wrist so I can sit down," I ordered Isobel, who smirked before letting go. I tried not to show how much the throbbing pain in my wrist effected me, but it was hard, considering it was already bruising.

"Why did you want to meet us here?" I asked her, taking over the interrogations so that we could get this meeting over with as soon as possible.

"Because I'm curious about Elena," Isobel said. "And you too Steffy. It's not every day one had the chance to catch up with a Blake witch."

"You knew my aunt, didn't you? I think you've already had your fair share of lake witches," I pointed out and she shrugged.

"If that is your discrete way of asking if I know where Adeline is, I can not help you," she told me. "Not that I would want to anyway. After I turned, she didn't want to see me anymore."

The revelation struck a cord in me. "You mean you last saw my aunt, what? Two years ago?"

Isobel tilted her head sideways and grinned. "Not saying anything else on this matter," she told me. "But yes and then I didn't ever try looking her up again."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because she actually _did _set me on fire," Isobel grinned sadistically. "I almost killed her, you know. When I left, she was still a bleeding mess, but I don't know if she survived or not."

A knot tied in my stomach as I imagined Adeline on the floor, gasping for air as the blood seeped out of her as she used her last powers to set fire to Isobel. "Luckily, I was quick enough to put the flames out. No permanent damage done," Isobel said.

"What's the real reason you're here?" I asked.

"I want what Elena's uncle wants. Jonathan Gilbert's invention," Isobel admitted.

"How do you know my uncle?" Elena asked.

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger," Isobel told her. "John had a crush on me for years. He was the first one that told me about vampires."

"So what made you want to be one?" Elena asked, once again taking over.

"It's a very long list of reasons, Elena," Isobel said. "All of which I'm sure you've thought about."

"No," Elena disagreed.

"That was your first lie," Isobel said calmly. "It's inevitable, you're going to get old, Stefan won's. Forever doesn't last very long when you're human."

"I'm sorry but we don't have what you're looking for," I told Isobel, sensing that Elena wanted to get out of here as much as I did now. I tried to stand up again, but Isobel once again grabbed me, this time on my upper arm, forcing me to sit down.

"Sit down," she ordered me before turning to Elena. "And Elena, tell your boyfriend to walk away." My eyes traveled to Stefan, who halted in his steps. "I want the invention," Isobel once again said.

"We don't have it," I snapped at her.

"I know that," she said. "But Damon does and you're going to get it for me."

"Well, he isn't going to give it to _me_," Elena said.

"Then the blood will be on your hands," Isobel said as she got up. "It was nice meeting you Elena," she said, nodding curtly at her daughter before turning to me. I kept glaring at her. "Steffy... It had been interesting. I'll see you around," she told me before leaving. I felt something bubble up inside of me as I looked over at Elena, who was crying. Stepping out of the booth, I allowed Stefan to close the space between him and his girlfriend, who cried in his arms. I looked past the two of them and noticed Bonnie looking at us. The two of us share a look, but I instantly turn toward the door and walk out, not waiting for Elena and Stefan.

As soon as I stepped out of the Grill, Damon was in front of me. I held my wrist tightly, keeping the tears in.

"Are you okay?" he asked, trying to check on my wrist which was obviously bruised.

"Nothing a simple healing spell won't fix," I told him, trying to smile.

"Or a little vampire blood," he suggested, but I shook my head.

"Considering that Isobel is a maniac, who will most likely try to kill be if we don't get her the invention, I don't want vampire blood in my system," I told him. At the mention of Isobel killing me, his eyes widened slightly.

"Steffy-" Damon began, but I interrupted him.

"I just want to go home Damon. I can't deal with this right now," I said before walking off.

-Deffy-

The next day I was home alone in the living room when the door bell rang. Hurriedly, I pulled my hair up in a bun and straightened out my T-shirt.

Rolling my eyes, I pulled the door open. "Damon, what- Bonnie?" I stared at my friend who had been avoiding me like the plague. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Can I come in?" Bonnie asked, looking at me uncomfortably, not even remarking that I had been expecting Damon instead.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," I replied, stepping aside so that she could enter. I walked into the living room and quickly gathered all my papers and notes. I closed my grimoarie and put it all in a nice pile.

"Were you researching something? In the living room?" Bonnie asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, Caroline's off building floats and aunt Liz is at work. I wasn't expecting anyone for at least an hour or two," I said. Our conversation was surprisingly civil, considering that I was one hundred percent sure that Bonnie hated me for indirectly causing her grandmother's death.

"Oh," Bonnie said curtly, sitting down on the couch. I didn't sit down. Instead, I kept looking at her curiously as she moved a bit on the couch.

"Bonnie, what are you doing here?" I pretty much demanded, not having time for games.

"I came to apologize," Bonnie sighed. "I know it's not really your fault that Grams died. You were close with her too and I was just blinded by grief and needed someone to blame," she admitted. "It still hurts, you know. But I would never let anyone hurt you because you are my _friend_."

I stayed quiet as she eyed me. Finally, sensing that she wouldn't continue, I asked, "What brought all of this on?"

"I talked to Elena earlier. She told me that the two of you met Isobel and that she got kind of rough with you," Bonnie admitted. "I guess I just realized that I couldn't keep blaming you, when it wasn't really your fault."

"Well, I'm fine now," I told her. "I did a healing spell so the pain is gone and the bruises have faded too."

"I'm sorry, Steffy," Bonnie sighed. "For not being there. You tried to call and text and I just didn't want anything to do with you... I'm sorry."

I looked at her for a moment. "Okay," I nodded slowly. "It's okay, as long as you forgive me too."

"Okay," Bonnie smiled and stood up, immediately embracing me. It felt both weird and comforting at the same time. I still felt like she wasn't completely over what had happened, but at least we could talk now.

"Hey, I need to get dressed and get to school. I just remembered I promised Caroline that I would help with the floats," I said, remembering my promise to my cousin. "I'll talk to you later?" I asked and Bonnie nodded, already heading for the door.

"I'll see you later," she agreed, walking out. I bit my lip, wondering if this was actually happening. Bonnie and I hadn't talked for weeks and now she was suddenly_okay_ with me and every one else who had had a part in her grandmother's death? Of course, I wanted everything to go back to normal between us, but considering my luck, I knew it would be too good to be true.

-Deffy-

When I arrived at school, Caroline was walking around shouting orders at everyone. She had shared her idea for the float and I had laughed upon hearing that it would be inspired by _Gone With the Wind_. As soon as she noticed me standing on the sidewalk, she stomped up to me, demanded to know where I had been and dragged me towards a float that Matt was working on.

I was apparently on painting duty and I was glad that I had worn a pair of old, already torn jeans and a simple v-neck. As I painted, I overheard Tyler trying to get Matt to talk to him again, but Matt refused to since he was still furious at Tyler for hooking up with his mom. I decided to walk up to Matt after he had left Tyler standing alone and still upset about the loss of his best friend.

"Hey Matt, how are you doing?" I asked and he looked up at me and smiled awkwardly.

"Hey Steffy," he said. "I'm good I guess. You?"

"Fine," I lied. "But honestly, I don't think you look so good," I told him. My eyes traveled to the other side of the float, where Tyler was furiously painting as well.

"I'm guessing you overheard, huh?" Matt asked and I nodded.

"Look, I know Tyler was a dick for making a move on your mom," I said. "And I'm not trying to make you upset or something, but your mom wasn't exactly a Saint here either, you know," I pointed out and Matt sighed.

"I know that my mom's to blame too, and that's why I practically threw her out of the house," Matt admitted. "But Tyler was supposed to be my best friend. No matter how much of a jerk he is to everyone else, he isn't supposed to act that way towards me!"

"I understand that, Matt," I said, thinking about Damon for some reason. "Believe me when I tell you that I understand. I know it's not any of my business, but I really do think you should cut him some slack at least. It takes two to tango and he wasn't exactly pulling a solo number. He had been drinking too and-"

"Why are you even trying to defend him?" Matt interrupted. His tone was kind of snappy.

"I just think you should consider giving him a break. He _is _still your best friend and you might need him one day," I said before walking away again.

As I stood painting for a while, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and was met by Tyler's curious gaze.

"I heard you talking to Matt," he said. "About cutting me some slack?"

"Oh," I said. "Well, uh... So what?" I asked, not really sure how to respond. Was he asking me a question or just making a statement?

"Why did you do it?" he asked curiously. "I don't deserve anyone being on my side when it comes to this. I know I screwed up."

"We all screw up, Tyler," I told him. "That doesn't mean people shouldn't give us second chances once in a while."

"Well Matt has probably given me a thousand chances already," Tyler sighed, relaxing somewhat as he leaned against the float after making sure I hadn't painted at that particular spot yet.

"Still, you're his friend and you're his, which means that at some point you two might need each other," I sighed. "Look, Tyler. I don't really know why I stood up for you and what I did doesn't mean that I don't think what you did was kind of douche-y. I might just have a thing for helping people who don't know how to breathe without sounding like a jackass," I said, earning a low chuckle from Tyler.

"I guess I should thank you anyway," Tyler said. "I don't think anyone I've known so far has actually managed to insult me by sounding polite at the same time though," he continued thoughtfully. "But thank you."

"Don't mention it," I smiled and he smiled back weakly before walking away. I sighed, finally going back to painting when someone once again tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and was met by Elena's familiar face.

"Hey, Steffy," she greeted. "Have you seen Stefan anywhere?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, I just came here like fifteen minutes ago, why?" I asked and she looked around.

"Bonnie apparently found the device in Emily Bennett's grimoarie and found out what kind of a device it is!" Elena explained.

"What does it do then?" I asked, putting my paint brush down.

"Not completely sure, but it's apparently some kind of weapon against vampires," Elena said.

"Then why the hell would Isobel want it?" I frowned.

"I don't know and that is exactly why we need to talk to Stefan," she said. "Come help me find him."

"Okay," I agreed, leaving my painting duties to the other students that were working on the float.

As we walked through the throng of people, looking for Stefan, Jeremy suddenly spotted us.

"Elena! Steffy!" he called and we halted in our steps, turning to speak to him.

"Hey, Jer," I smiled but he didn't seem to be in the mood for some reason.

"Hey, have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked. "I need to find him." If I hadn't know why she needed to find him, I would have rolled my eyes at her. Sometimes it seemed as if neither Stefan nor Elena would be able to function properly without each other.

"No, not lately," Jeremy said as Elena looked around again, trying to spot her boyfriend. "Listen, do you have a second?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Elena asked.

Jeremy seemed to hesitate for a moment. "What's going on, Jeremy?" I asked and he looked over at me.

"Well, it's Anna," he admitted and instantly I felt my heart drop. "I've left her all these messages and she hasn't gotten back to me, not even a text," he continued.

"Anna?" Elena asked, sounding horrified. She quickly tried to cover up the quiver in her voice by clearing her throat. "I didn't know that you guys were still friends."

"We're more than friends," Jeremy told her. I couldn't stop my eyes from widening, but I wasn't exactly surprised. "Look, something could be seriously wrong and if you two know anything, you've got to tell me," Jeremy said, looking expectantly at me.

"I haven't talked to her, Jer," Elena tried, but she didn't sound very convincing. I could sense that it was getting to Jeremy because every cell of his body was screaming out a protest in anger.

"Are you lying to me right now?" he demanded harshly and Elena stared at him, taken aback.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Because that's what you do," Jeremy snapped, turning to me. "That's what both of you do. You lie about everything! I know what Anna is and I know that you know," he said in a harsh whisper. I swallowed hard, realizing he was well aware of the town's vampire history. "So tell me, do you have any idea where she is?" he tried to ask again.

"No, we don't," I replied. He glared at us before turning around and stalking off. "Jeremy, wait!" I called after him, but he just kept walking. I groaned and turned around, just to be met by a smiling Isobel.

"Isobel," I gasped, looking at Elena, who looked equally shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Elena's mother and I want to be more involved in her life," Isobel said coldly.

"I don't want you in my life," Elena said angrily.

"I understand that," Isobel nodded. "You already have a lot of people that you care about, but I've been studying. Let's see if I got this right," she said and looked over at Bonnie.

"There is the witchy best friend, Bonnie," she said. "Gonna stay away from that one since I already have one of your witch friends on my trail." She glanced at me before motioning to Jeremy. "Oh... Sad little brother Jeremy," she turned to Caroline,"and there's Caroline. Obnoxious Caroline, who I understand is your cousin Steffy? I understand that it's not easy living with someone like her. By the way, I got all my info from her. She had no idea who I was and she wouldn't stop yapping," Isobel said, sounding annoyed. I mentally cursed Caroline for being to open with strangers. Especially the ones that were threatening to kill everyone in town.

"Oh, and there's Matt," Isobel continued. "Friend, ex, yappy's future ex. Lots of connection there-"

"Matt is not involved in this," I snapped, feeling my temper rising. This wasn't going to end well.

"He's involved with Elena and you, isn't he?"

"You shouldn't be here," Elena tried calmly. "You need to leave.

"No," Isobel answered. "I have some friends here too. Look, you see that man over there, standing next to Matt by the float?" I turned around and saw a young man inspecting the float. Hairs rose on my arms. "His name is Frank," Isobel continued. "He's very handsome and he's also quite handy and he noticed that the axles are a little rusty, which is very dangerous. So all you have to do, is apply a little bit of pressure and-"

"No!" I exclaimed, just as the man jumped on the trailer above Matt, crushing Matt's arm in the process. I took a step to run to him, but Isobel grabbed my arm again. Matt continued to scream in agony and Caroline and Tyler both rushed to his side to try and lift the trailer. Stefan arrived just in time and lifted it up, telling Caroline to call an ambulance.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena cried out. Her voice was thick.

"I'm showing both of you how easy it is to hurt the people that you care about," Isobel said.

"And you're doing all of this just because you want Jonathan Gilbert's invention?" I asked.

"Hand it over and all the hurt will stop," Isobel replied simply.

"We told you, Damon isn't going to give it to us," I screeched.

"I think you underestimate how much Damon cares about you," Isobel snapped at me. "And if he doesn't care about you, then he certainly cares about _Elena_," she smiled wickedly.

She was trying to get to me and I knew it. The thing I hated most was however that it was actually working.

"If you hurt anyone else that I care about," I threatened. "I swear to everything that is sacred that I will find you and I will _kill_ you, if it's the last think I do. Isobel only smiled at me, which was causing my blood to boil even more.

"He'll kill you before he gives it up," Elena said.

"Is that before or after I kill your brother Jeremy?" Isobel asked. Elena and I whirled around to look at Jeremy, but he was gone.

"Jeremy?" I called. "Jeremy!" Stefan looked over at the two of us and I turned back to face Isobel again. But just like Jeremy, she was gone too. I turned back to Elena. "What are we going to do?" I asked.

"We call Damon and get him to bring the device to school. Bonnie said that she could perform a spell that will make the device useless," Elena said.

"Then we can hand the device over to Isobel and she won't be bale to use it for anything," I realized and Elena nodded. "You go get Stefan and Bonnie and I'll call Damon," I said, already taking out my phone. Caroline had sent me a text saying that Tyler was driving her and Matt to the hospital. I quickly replied saying that I would be waiting for her at home later and then dialed Damon's number.

"_Hello, my little vixen-_"

"Damon, I don't have time for this right now," I snapped.

"_Okay? Relax Steffy, what's wrong?_" he asked, sounding surprised by my tone.

"You need to get to school right now. Meet us in Alaric's classroom and bring the device," I ordered.

"_Slow down, Steph_," Damon said. "_What's going on?_"

"I can't explain it right now," I said. "You just need to trust me. Can you do that?" he stayed quiet for a moment. "Please?" I begged.

"_Okay. I'll be there in a few,_" he said before hanging up. Just as I was about to run up to the classroom, Elena sent me a text, saying that she and Stefan were on their way to the boarding house to try and convince Damon to hand over the device. Had she _not _listened to a word I had said before we separated? I told her I would get Damon to come over, and now she was already running to the Boarding house. I quickly texted Damon and told him to stay where he was and that we would be there soon.

I just hoped we wouldn't be too late to save Jeremy.

-Deffy-

For some reason, I couldn't stand the fact that Elena was trying to convince Damon to trust her. I felt ignored, partially because I actually _was_ being ignored and partially...well. I didn't exactly have any other reason because the first one was good enough! But I stayed quiet through all of it. Elena telling Damon about the plan, Bonnie convincing Damon that she had been practicing enough so that she could perform the spell to begin with. Damon had actually had the decency to ask why I couldn't perform it instead, since I was the one he trusted most in the room (which I have to admit, made me blush). Bonnie tried explaining that it was a spell specific to Bennett witches since it was Emily who had created the device in the first place and I had agreed. That was pretty much the only thing I had had a say in since I arrived. Then Elena had to go all puppy-eyes at Damon, telling him how he could trust her too, which had been the most annoying thing ever. I wasn't annoyed by her, but rather by the _jealousy_ that seemed to creep up inside of me when she acted like that. Isobel's words at the Grill were bothering me more than they should, since I knew that Elena was too in love with Stefan to even notice Damon sometimes. However, at the same time, she had these moments with him too, which made me feel kind of insecure about the fact that I didn't knew where Damon and I stood yet, or rather, where _I _stood with Damon.

"Hey, I got to go call Caroline about Matt," I told them, excusing myself from the room. I walked outside and picked up my phone, calling Caroline. Apparently, Matt had broken his arm but was doing better. He and Tyler had started talking again and were at least trying to be civil with each other. When I finally hang up, I walked inside only to find that Bonnie had already performed the spell on the device.

"What now?" Damon asked, looking at Elena.

"Now we give it to Isobel," Elena said, determination in her voice. "I'll drive with Stefan. Steffy, are you coming with is or..?" She glanced at Damon and I rolled my eyes, grabbing my bag again.

"She's coming with me," Damon answered for me and Elena nodded, walking out with Stefan. Damon and I turned to Bonnie, who just simply nodded at us before walking out of the house, leaving the two of us alone.

"Are you okay?" Damon suddenly asked. "You seem kind of mad for some reason."

"I'm not mad, Damon," I snapped, not being able to stop myself. "I just might not like the fact that all of you treated me like air this past half hour."

"That's what you're mad about?" he pressed and I rolled my eyes again.

"I said I'm not mad," I told him again as we walked out to the car and I got in.

"Well you're clearly upset," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I'm _not_," I snapped again and he stayed quiet for a the whole ride in to town again. When he finally parked the car and we got out of the car, he blurred forward to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me back so that out chests were pressed together. He looked at me intently for a while before opening his mouth to speak again.

"Just keep in mind that air is necessary for us all to breathe," he said, his voice so low that it was almost a whisper. What was he saying? That everyone else needed me, or that _he _needed me? His eyes traveled to my lips and I felt his hot breath on my face. Just as I felt my own eyes starting to flutter shut, he pulled away, grabbing my hand.

"We need to get going," he told me and pulled me along towards the town square, once again leaving me all confused in my own thoughts.

As we waited for Isobel, Damon stayed close by my side. Every once in a while he would surprise me by brushing his hand against mine. At first I thought it was by accident, but around the fourth or fifth time, I noticed it was more like he was suffering of a twitch, constantly having to brush his index finger against my palm. Elena stood alone in the middle of the square, with the device in her hand. She was looking around, waiting for Isobel to turn up and Stefan whispered to me that I should join Elena considering that Isobel had wanted to meet me as well. Very, very reluctantly, I walked up to Elena and smiled at her reassuringly. About ten seconds later, Isobel appeared behind us. We turned around at the sound of her voice.

"Where is the device?" Isobel asked.

"Where is my brother?" Elena retorted.

"This isn't a negotiation," Isobel said, visibly annoyed. "Where is the invention?" she asked again, turning to me this time.

"Where is Jeremy?" I pressed and Isobel smirked slightly.

"Do you really think that I came here alone?" she asked us and I glanced over my shoulder to see Frank, the man who had crushed Matt's arm today and another woman.

"Did you really think that we came here alone?" I countered as Damon and Stefan blurred forward and stood a few feet away from Isobel, about the same distance that Isobel's backup was standing from me and Elena.

"For God's sake, call home," Isobel said, rolling her eyes at us. Elena looked at me and took out her phone.

She dialed her home number and waited. Finally, her eyes widened and she let out a breath she had been holding. "Jeremy? Are you okay?" she asked, relief appearing on her face. "I'll be home soon, alright?" Elena said and hung up, turning back to Isobel.

"You were never going to hurt him," Elena said, almost with a hint of hope in her voice. I bit my lip, knowing that Isobel probably was just so emotionless that she didn't even care.

"No," Isobel said. "I was going to kill him," she continued coldly, her face neutral. "Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me, Elena. I don't have any."

"But you took a risk with Damon," Elena said. "How did you know that he was going to give the device to us?"

"Because he's in love with you," Isobel told Elena. I froze, feeling a pang of something in my chest and tried hard not to show that I had a sudden difficulty of breathing properly. There was a long pause and I simply looked up at Damon. He had looked over at Stefan, who looked uncomfortable.

"Thank you," Elena said, handing the device over to Isobel, who inspected it closely.

"For what?" Isobel asked.

"For being such a monumental disappointment," Elena continued. "It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact."

"Goodbye, Elena," Isobel said, still not showing a hint of emotion on her face. "As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed. Katherine was smart; she got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine." Isobel turned to look at me and I tried really hard not to set her on fire with my mind. "Or maybe I'm wrong?" Isobel suggested. "Maybe Damon is in love with you, Stephanie?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "However it is, you won't be happy with him. He'll always love Katherine and since Elena is such a look-alike, he'll always have feelings for her too."

"Goodbye, Isobel," I said determinedly. "I sincerely hope you burn in Hell."

With one last cold smile, Isobel blurred away. I stood there frozen for what seemed like ages. My hands were balled up in fists when I finally looked up. Stefan and Elena were hugging and Damon was looking at the two of them. Once again that awful feeling settled in my stomach. What if what Isobel said was true? What if Damon really did have feelings for Elena because of the fact that she looked so much alike Katherine? I looked away for a second before turning back. Damon was now looking at me with a look I had never seen on his face before.

"Let's go home," Elena said and I nodded.

"I'll come with you this time, Elena," I told her. "You can just drop me off on the way."

"We can drive you too, you know," Stefan suggested but I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. It's closer to Elena's anyway," I said, making up excuses for not being in the same car as Damon. I wouldn't be able to handle it and if we shared any other moment together, I would just be even more confused.

As we got into Elena's car, I was glad that she understood that I didn't want to talk about Isobel, the device or the things that Isobel had brought up. Especially not the topic of who Damon loved.

-Deffy-

When I finally sat down on my bed, newly showered and dressed in my PJ: s, I decided to call Jeremy. Finding out that he knew about vampires, only for him to be kidnapped seconds later by a vampire, worried me slightly.

"Hey, Jer," I said as he answered. "It's Steffy."

"_Oh_," he replied, not very enthusiastically.

"Uh... I'm just calling to check up on you," I explained. "Are you... Are you okay?"

It was silent for a while until he finally responded. "_Yeah, I'm fine,_" he grunted. "_Look, Steffy. I don't want to sound rude but you're seriously the last person I want to talk to right now._"

"Okay, that definitively sounded rude," I informed him. "What's up with the sudden attitude?"

"_Oh, I don't know? Maybe the fact that both you and my sister have been lying to me about vampires?_" he hissed into the phone.

"Jer, we were trying to protect you," I tried, but I knew I was getting nowhere.

"_I don't care! I had the right to know! Especially since my sister's boyfriend and his brother are both vampires,_" he said angrily. "_It's late and I'm sorry, but I really can't talk to you right now,_" he sighed.

"It's okay," I mumbled, feeling that awful pit in my stomach again. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"_Bye Stephanie_."

"Goodbye-" he hung up before I could finish, "-Jeremy."

I groaned and threw the phone on the armchair in the corner of my room before laying down on my bed, running my hands over my face and through my hair. A familiar breeze filled the room and I didn't even have to look up to know what was going on.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" I asked, for what felt like the hundredth time since I had arrived in Mystic Falls.

"I came to check up on you," he admitted, standing in front of me, looking down at me as I stayed on the bed.

"And why the hell would you do that?" I asked, sounding kind of annoyed. Didn't he understand that I needed some time alone? _Especially_ after what Isobel had kept inquiring that Damon was in love with one of my best friends while he and I had a...thing, going on?

"I think that's what friends do," Damon shrugged. "Aren't we friends?"

His question silenced me. "I don't know what we are," I admitted, looking up at the ceiling.

Damon sat on the bed before laying down next to me on his back, looking up at the ceiling as well. "I talked to Stefan," he told me.

"Oh? About?" I asked, only mildly curious.

"My relationship with Elena," he said. "And _you_."

"Is that so?" I said, still not showing any emotion. If he wanted to tell me something, then he should do it by himself. I would not pressure him into saying anything, especially not when it came to his _relationship_ with Elena.

"I told him the truth," Damon said. "That I consider Elena to be one of my only friends." I only mumbled an agreement, wondering when their relationship had changed. Hadn't he been annoyed by Elena just a few days ago? Wasn't he _always _annoyed by how she kept putting herself in danger? "And then I told him about you."

"Care to share my label?" I asked after he didn't continue.

"It's not a _label_, Steffy," Damon said, sounding annoyed. "You already know that consider you one of my closest friends. Honestly, if it came down to you and Elena, I know that I can trust _you_ more than her."

"I'm flattered," I said, and I really was, but for some reason, my comment annoyed him even more. He sat up on the bed and turned to look at me.

"What's your problem?" he snapped. "I'm telling you that I consider you a closer friend than Elena and you respond with a cold 'I'm flattered'? Don't you care?"

I sat up as well and glared at him. "I do _care, _Damon," I responded. "And that's the problem! I'm aware of the fact that we are friends, but I constantly have this strange feeling inside of me, which makes me confused!"

"What feeling?" Damon asked curiously. I looked away from him, feeling tears burning in my eyes. "What feeling, Steffy?" Damon demanded.

"I don't know, okay?" I said, turning back to him. "I don't know! But it's there, and I can't seem to get rid of it. I don't know what it is, but it's constantly with me and I'm not really sure I like that."

Damon stayed quiet, inspecting my face before putting his hand to my cheek. Automatically, I leaned into it, feeling his comfort.

"I just need time to think, Damon," I said. "I need to think things through and while I do, I want us to just..." I didn't know how to end the sentence.

"Be friends," Damon finished for me and I nodded. "I'll be your friend, Steffy," he told me and pressed his lips to my forehead. "As long as you don't tell anyone about it because I don't want people to think I'm going soft," he said, attempting a joke as I leaned back into the pillow again.

"No offense, Damon," I smiled. "But I think you've always been kind of soft. At least when it comes to me."

He didn't say anything to agree, but he didn't disagree either. His lips kind of twitched, almost as if he was going to smile back at me, but he didn't. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the window, closing it.

"I'll use the door," he said. "Goodnight, Steffy."

I yawned, felt his hand brush away my hair from my face and closed my eyes. "Goodnight, Damon."

* * *

_**A/N: Soooooooo? What did you think? :D I know that Damon might have been a little out of character in the end, but I really just want to show you guys that he is connecting with Steffy on a deeper level, where he doesn't have to hide behind his badassery!**_

_**If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll reply ASAP!**_

_**Also, do you think I should continue posting Season 2 here as well or should I make a new story? I'm thinking of just continuing here without any stops, but it's up to you guys to decide!**_

_**Another last little tiny thing: Steffy's history (as in the history of the Blake Witches) will be looked into more deeply in season 2!**_

_**Hope you liked it!**_

_**I'll be posting the outfit on my tumblr page instead since I don't have time to mess with the link now!**_

_**Please review!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


	23. Chapter 22

_**IMPORTANT A/N! READ THIS:**_

_**Hey guys! So we have finally made it! The Season 1 FINALE! Yay! :D I'm really excited for you guys to read this! The word count for this chapter is 10,695 words, which is A LOT for me!**_

_**At the end of this chapter, I'll write a VERY important A/N, so please read that!**_

_**Enjoy the chapter now and I'll get back to you! ;)**_

* * *

**Chapter 22: Founder's Day**

_How did I get here? To this point in my life? Why is it so dark around me and why am I feeling so cold?_

"_Steffy..." a voice whispered, and I whirled around, sending my hair flying around me._

"_Who's there?" I called out, but no answer came. A bang sounded to my left and I turned around again. "Show yourself!" I screamed, barely recognizing my own voice. "Who are you?"_

_Silence filled the empty room again and then came another sound._

"_Steffy..." the groaning voice murmured again. Whoever it was, was in pain._

_I felt something inside of me boil. "SHOW YOURSELF!" I yelled again and suddenly, everything around me was on fire. I stared ahead, at the only item that was in the room with me; a mirror. I looked around at the flames engulfing the room, but felt no heat from them. Slowly, I walked up to the mirror and stood in front of it._

_I stared at my reflection for a moment. Chills crept up my arms again, as the reflections mouth moved, but mine didn't._

"_Steffy..."_

_I stared at the white gown that my reflection was wearing, and looked down at my own dark faded jeans and black T-shirt. Looking up again, my reflection had turned to look at the floor. How was this even possible? I took another step closer, but my reflection didn't move._

"_What's happening to me?" I whispered, reaching forward to touch the mirror slowly. Suddenly, my reflection snapped its head up and I jumped back. My face had changed. There were dark bags underneath my eyes and I was looking pale. The white dress the reflection had been wearing earlier, started to darken, until it was finally all black._

_As I stared into my reflection's eyes, I thought I saw them flash black for a second._

"_What is this?" I asked, out loud this time._

_My reflection sneered at me, smirking slightly. The eyes flashed black again. "This is our future, Stephanie," it said, the voice no longer my own. "This is what you'll become!" it screamed, running forward, causing the mirror to shatter and the flames to go out._

-Deffy-

I screamed out loud as I sat up in my bed, gasping. It took me a moment to realize that my room wasn't on fire and that I wasn't standing in front of a mirror, looking at my own freak reflection. A knock was heard on my door and I quickly scrambled out of bed, standing behind it, raising my hand in the direction of the door.

"Steffy?" Caroline asked as she finally stepped inside. I was still holding out my hand, ready to cast any spell I could think of and probably, in Caroline's eyes, looking terrified.

"Caroline?" I rasped, my voice hoarse from the screaming earlier. "What... What's up?"

Caroline looked at me incredulously as I let my hand drop to my side. "'What's up?'" Caroline repeated. "I'll tell you what's up! 'What's up' is that I was just getting ready to go downstairs, when I suddenly heard you thrashing around in here and screaming your lungs out! You scared the crap out of me, Steffy!" Caroline exclaimed, giving me an explanation.

"I'm sorry," I said, clearing my throat, still feeling a burning sensation in it. "It won't happen again."

"Were you having a nightmare?" Caroline asked. "I thought you didn't have those anymore?"

I licked my lips, still feeling cold inside. "I don't know," I said honestly. "I don't remember." The last part was a lie, because I most vividly remembered the dream I had had. However, I wasn't completely sure that it had been a nightmare... It felt too real for some reason.

"Well, if it happens again..." Caroline trailed off, still looking worried.

"I promise I won't scare the shit out of you," I smiled weakly.

"I was going to say that you should tell me about it," Caroline said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe you just need to get, whatever it is, out of your system? Talk about it, I mean."

"I don't even remember it, Caroline," I reminded her. "How am I supposed to talk about something that I don't even remember?"

"Never mind then," Caroline said, still not looking convinced. "Are you going to get dressed? We need to go pick up Matt and get to town," she said.

"What? Why?" I asked, looking at the clock. It was ten in the morning.

"We need to get to town, Silly," she grinned. "It's Founder's Day!"

My brain took its time to register what she had said. "Founder's Day," I remembered. "I had totally forgotten about that."

Caroline shook her head and walked over to my closet, taking out a black dress. "Are you going to dress up?" she asked me and I shook my head.

"Nope, definitively not," I said. "I have no reason to, so I'll probably just wear jeans and something."

"I think this dress would look good on you," Caroline said, looking at the black dress. "Black really is your color."

Goosebumps rose on my skin as I remembered my reflection and the way that the dress had changed color. "Well, I'm not planning on wearing black dresses any time soon," I told her. "No one has died," I said, taking the dress from her, putting it away.

"But you love your black dresses!" Caroline exclaimed. "You've almost always worn black dresses to fund-raisers and parties!"

"Well, I've changed my mind about it," I snapped, feeling anger boil inside of me. Hurt flashed through Caroline's eyes. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm just feeling stressed," I tried but Caroline looked away anyway.

"Then don't take your stress out on me, Steph," Caroline said, sounding sad.

I stepped forward and took her hand in mine. "I'm sorry," I repeated, this time sounding sincere. "I just feel like something is off today and I didn't mean to snap at you."

Caroline considered my apology for a while, and then finally embraced me. I hugged her back, still feeling that something was off.

"It's okay," Caroline said. "Everything will be fine." She pulled away and smiled at me. "Now get dressed because we're already late!" She strutted out of the room and closed the door behind her as I walked into my bathroom and looked myself in the mirror again.

"Everything will be fine," I repeated to myself, turning on the faucet.

The feeling however, that people would die today, didn't leave my stomach.

-Deffy-

As Caroline and I walked through the crowd, headed for the school, I noticed Elena walking up to Damon and Stefan who were talking. She was wearing her costume already and she actually did look good in it. One thing I found myself not liking particularly, was the dumbstruck look on both Stefan's and Damon's face. I felt that horrible feeling which I now suspected was jealousy creep up inside me.

"Steffy, are you okay?" Caroline asked beside me. At the mention of my name, Damon's head snapped away from Elena and turned to me. Our eyes met for a brief moment.

"Yes," I breathed. "I'm perfect." I turned to face Caroline and ignored the feeling of Damon's eyes burning holes in the back of my neck. "Let's just get you into this dress of yours and help Matt get dressed without hurting his arm," I smiled.

"Okay," Caroline agreed, grinning. "I have a feeling this day is going to be magical!"

I didn't say anything, I just smiled at her and followed her to one of the changing rooms that had been arranged for the day.

As I tied the laces on her dress, Caroline groaned slightly.

"Stop complaining," I told her. "You're always saying how amazing it must have been back in the days of corsets and poof-dresses, so suck it up!"

Caroline let out a breathy laugh. "You know, sometimes I can totally understand why Mom says that she sees your mom in you," she said. "You kind of have her temper."

"Oh, I've gotten the best mix possible," I told her sarcastically. "Apparently, my Dad's side is even worse when it comes to keeping their temper in check," I said, thinking back to the moments I had lost control of my powers and done things as, for example, set Damon on fire with my mind.

"How do you know that? Isn't everyone in your Dad's family kind of...?" Caroline trailed off, leaving the question unfinished.

"Dead?" I finished for her and she nodded, swallowing tightly. "Yeah, but I've been looking into my family history and well, the Blake's aren't exactly easy to understand sometimes."

"Really? How come you haven't told me about this family history of yours?" Caroline asked, sounding upset that I had been keeping her out of the loop.

"Well, for one, I didn't know how you would react," I admitted. She didn't know how much I meant that little statement, and hopefully, she would never have to know either. I would hate for Caroline to get involved with everything that was supernatural in Mystic Falls. The revelation of me being a witch, would in turn lead to the revelation of vampires and who knows what else might come up?

"I'm reacting fine, aren't I?" Caroline scoffed. "But I guess I understand why you would keep such a thing hidden from me."

"Oh?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_," Caroline said, "that I understand that it's something you wanted to do by yourself. You didn't know what you would find and thereby you decided that if you check it out yourself, you would be able to work through it alone and kind of deal with what you found in your own time."

"That's an incredibly...clever deduction," I told Caroline, who simply turned back and smiled at me.

"You do know that I'm not stupid, do you?" Caroline asked and I smiled back.

"Of course not," I grinned. "You're one of the smartest people I know. I love you."

Caroline's face brightened as I tied the last knot. "I love you too, Steph," she said, embracing me tightly. "You're like the sister I never had."

"I feel the same way about you," I told her, just as someone knocked on the door.

"Who could that be?" Caroline said, walking over to the door, struggling with her dress.

"I'll get it," I laughed, running ahead of her, opening the door. As I came face to face with the one person I had hoped to avoid today, my smile faltered. "What are you doing here?" I whispered angrily. "You should be out there with Stefan!"

Damon raised an eyebrow at me. "Why? Do you also agree that my brother needs a babysitter?" he asked sarcastically, looking down at my clothes. "You're awfully casual today," he pointed out and I glared at him.

"Well, you aren't exactly dressed up to your nines either," I said, looking at his attire, which was just as black as usual.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, ignoring my statement.

"Is it important?"

"Steffy, who is it?" Caroline called from behind me.

"No one!" I called back, turning to look at her.

Damon rolled his eyes at me when I turned back to him. "It is important," he told me and I groaned.

"Is it too much to ask for _one _day where I don't have to talk to you?" I asked turning back to Caroline. "Hey, Care," I called. "I need to go help with a decoration that fell of the float," I lied and Caroline gasped.

"Go, go, go!" she told me. "I can't risk getting any glue on my dress, but I'll get Matt to come here and I'll help him get dressed! Go fix that float!" she exclaimed, still not knowing who I was talking to.

"I'll see you later," I told her. "I'll be standing in the crowd."

"Just _go_!" Caroline said, clearly more worried about the float than where I would be later. I quickly got my bag and hugged Caroline one last time before stepping out of the room, following Damon as he led the way.

"I didn't know I was such a nuisance to be around," Damon said, trying to sound offended. He was obviously referring to my little outburst that I wished to have one day without him.

"You _know_ what I mean, Damon," I told him as we rounded a corner. He did. He knew that I meant that I had needed a day away from him to actually figure out what was going on in my own head. However, both of us knew that it was impossible for us to be apart for long, mostly because our lives were connected so much.

Damon pulled me inside a janitors closet and I nearly rolled my eyes at the cliche-ness of it all.

"What's wrong now?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Nothing wrong really," he told me. "I just wanted you alone for seven minutes."

"Seven?" I asked, perplexed, looking around the closet. "Do you think this is funny, Damon? Is this your idea of playing seven minutes in heaven with you?"

Damon grinned at me. "Honestly, that was just a joke. I wanted to tell you that I think Jonathan Gilbert is Elena's biological father."

"What?" It had felt like a slap across my face. "Why are you telling _me _this? Shouldn't you tell Elena instead?"

"Stefan is filling Elena in on it," Damon said. "I mean, he is her _boyfriend_."

"Is that why you're filling me in?" I asked.

"Why? Because I consider myself to be your boyfriend?"

"No!" I protested. "Because you wanted to share with someone just like Stefan is sharing with Elena!" The thought of having Damon as my boyfriend amused me for some reason.

"Well, I originally shared the idea with Stefan," Damon stated. "Because apparently, no one else is smart enough to see the connection."

His smirk was infectious, but I managed to keep a neutral face. "I'm offended, Damon, really," I said, feigning hurt by putting my hand to my chest. "I can't believe that you actually think that I would sit around all day thinking about Elena's life, when I clearly have problems of my own."

It was quite preposterous. That he would think that all I ever thought about was Elena. "Just because you spend most of your waking time thinking about _Elena_," I said, getting mad, "doesn't mean that I do too." I reached for the door handle, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Damon asked and I shrugged.

"Maybe I am," I said, insinuating that he might actually have deeper feelings for Elena that he led on and that that fact bothered me.

"You're jealous," he said, once again saying the word I hated most in this world at the moment. I didn't say anything to protest though, which brought a smile to his face. It was one of those rare, genuine ones, which I had only seen on one occasion or two. "Come with me," he said. "Let's just stroll around town, keep an eye on John Gilbert and make fun of people."

For some reason, what he said, sounded awfully romantic and chick-flick-y.

"If you're suggesting that we go watch the parade together and support _my_ friends, then I'm all for it," I said. "As long as you don't try to cop a feel."

This caused him to grin and he took yet another step closer to me. "Wouldn't _dream_ of it," I breathed, finally opening the door for me to go through. "Ladies first," he said, gesturing for me to move forward.

"_Please_," I muttered. "You're just saying that so you can get a look at my ass." Nevertheless, I walked out before him.

"Those jeans of yours do make your ass look good," he agreed, amusement clear in his playful tone.

"My ass always looks good," I told him, grinning slightly myself, feeling the bitter jealousy and insecurity fading as I looked down at my ripped black jeans and dark red shirt that I was wearing, happy with my choice of clothing. Whatever it was that was going on between me and Damon, clearly meant something to him too since he had come to me and let Stefan go to Elena. Isobel had planted ideas in my head that probably didn't mean anything. Damon wasn't secretly in love with Elena; there was just _no way_.

-Deffy-

As we walked through the crowd, I shared a few thing I had learned about my ancestry, which wasn't much to begin with.

"You're telling me that Charlotte actually _did _have a thing for me back in 1864?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, I can hardly believe it either," I nodded. "I mean, what did she see in you?"

"Probably the same thing you see in me considering that you can't keep your eyes to yourself," Damon scoffed.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment. Instead, I kept talking about how Charlotte had suddenly done a 360 after meeting the man she later married. "It just weird, you know," I said thoughtfully, taking the cup of coffee I had just bought. Before I had a chance to pull my money out, Damon already put a bill on the table and told the young man who was selling the coffee to keep the change.

"How do you mean?" Damon asked as he pushed me to keep walking before I could protest his gentlemanly act.

"I mean that before she met that Samuel dude, she only wrote about you and her witch stuff," I explained. "When she met Samuel, it was as if he was the only thing on her mind. He became the only thing she wrote about."

"Love does crazy things to you," Damon said, looking intently at me. "If you believe in such a thing, of course."

"Love?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. "I don't think Charlotte was in love with him at first," I told Damon. "She sounded absolutely _obsessed_ with him. It wasn't until he fell in love with her that she calmed down."

"So it wasn't love at first sight?" Damon asked and I shook my head.

"For her it might have been, but not to him. He was married to the sea, I think. He was a sailor and he wasn't willing to let go of everything because of Charlotte," I said. "Luckily for Charlotte, however, Samuel's ship hadn't just made port by accident. There had been a storm and they needed to repair the ship. This gave Samuel and his friends some time, so they borrowed some horses and traveled on land for a while, until they finally came across Mystic Falls. After Charlotte saw him, she couldn't get him out of her mind, which caused her to run away from home for a month. She followed him back to the town they had made port and spent a lot of time with him there."

"And with 'spent a lot of time with' you mean...?" Damon said suggestively, but I smacked his shoulder, taking another sip from my coffee.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Damon," I laughed. "No, she didn't sleep with him. She just talked to him. A lot from what I gather, since by the end of the month, she had gotten him to fall in love with her. He left his job and went back to Mystic Falls with her. They lived there for a few years and moved away a year after you and Stefan were turned." I stopped and turned to face him suddenly. "Which means, that you probably knew all this!" I accused, making Damon smirk.

"She met him in 1862," Damon said. "I was traveling around the country, fighting battles that probably weren't mine to fight. I wasn't _in_ Mystic Falls when she came home with him, so I didn't exactly know him. I stayed out of her business when I returned, too caught up in Katherine. By then, Charlotte had already made herself a home, given birth to twins and was living happily with her husband. I didn't exactly bother to get to know him," Damon explained.

"But since you lived with the Blake's for a while after you were turned, didn't you meet him then?" I asked and Damon nodded.

"Only for a short while. Charlotte was kind of stubborn and she didn't want him involved with all this supernatural crap. He knew that she was a witch and she had told him about vampires and all that, but she wanted him to stay as far away from it as possible," Damon said. "They lived in a separate part of the house and she forced him to stay there with the twins."

"She was trying to protect him from you and Stefan," I realized. "You were newly turned and out of control."

"Oh, I was perfectly _in _control," Damon said dismissively. "And that was probably what scared her most."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I didn't get all dark and mysterious until a while after Stefan and I left Mystic Falls," he explained. "Charlotte knew where she and her sisters had Stefan, but she was still uncertain when it came to me."

"But still, you must have seen them interact at least once," I said. "Before you were turned. Didn't you come to visit?"

"Yeah, sure. I saw them a few times," Damon admitted. "And they were just as lovey-dovey as any other newly-married couple."

"And when you were in their house? Were they still acting the same? A few years of marriage and kids usually wear people down or cause them to drift apart a little. Did they change?" I pressed and Damon looked at me curiously.

"Why do you want to know so much about them? It all happened almost a century and a half ago. What does this have to do with you now?" he asked and I groaned.

"I don't know!" I admitted. "I just want to understand my stupid bloodline and I'm probably over-analyzing things."

"Yeah," Damon agreed, looking at me suspiciously. "Probably."

We kept walking in silence for a while, not really looking at anything or anyone in particular. It felt kind of nice, pretending to be normal for once. Not thinking nor talking about witches, vampires, mystical devices and bloodlines. As I walked beside Damon, I felt like the Stephanie I had been before my mother passed away.

Sometimes, when I just thought about how much I had changed since my arrival in Mystic Falls, I got a headache. From being perfectly normal, not knowing anything about the supernatural world, to being a teenage witch and maybe, one of the last living descendants of a very, very old family of witches. I still remember the day that Bonnie's grandmother told me the truth. The nightmares I had had when I didn't understand and didn't accept what I was. My complete break-down and the first time I had cried in ages, when I admitted everything to Damon. Finding out about vampires, trying to protect Caroline... At the moment, it was honestly the only thing I could remember. I didn't even think about my ex-boyfriend who had cheated on me back in California and my ex-best friend was hardly on my mind either. Every part of my past, except for my mother's death, seemed somehow washed away from my mind. Maybe it was for the better? Maybe moving on like this was better for me? Maybe Damon was right and I shouldn't concentrate on looking at what happened over a hundred years ago and I should instead look at what was happening with me now and try to handle everything as it came?

We stood together and watched the parade. I waved excitedly at Caroline and Matt, and then at Stefan and Elena, who Damon also waved to. I kept watching the parade, when Damon suddenly told me to come with him. He walked up to Bonnie, and surprised me by thanking her for deactivating the device. When Bonnie later excused herself, he turned to me with a grin on his face.

"See? I can be nice too," he told me and I actually laughed, completely forgetting about that horrible nagging feeling that I had suppressed all day in my stomach.

"You thanked her in front of me to impress me?" I asked and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm just showing you that I can be nice," he said.

"I already know that Damon," I said. "You don't have to prove anything to me because I enjoy spending time with you, just the way you are." I could feel a slight blush creeping up my cheeks at my confession. In the corner of his mouth, I could see one of those rare smiles starting to appear again, and suddenly, I didn't really regret what I had said. Honestly, it was kind of true.

"Well then," Damon said. "I guess we're on mutual grounds when it comes to enjoying each others company at least."

I smiled back at him. "I need to go help Caroline get out of her dress," I told him.

"I tried that once," Damon said. "It was quite easy if I'm being honest."

The smile I had on my face quickly faded. "I'll give it to you, Damon," I said bitterly. "You really know how to ruin a moment."

"Oh, were we having a moment?" he asked, putting up that jackass-wall of his. Honestly, he is probably the most bi-polar person I have ever known.

"I'm sorry," I said sarcastically. "I was probably mistaken." Damon wasn't the only one who was bi-polar though, since I almost immediately felt some kind of rage building up inside of me. "Do me a favor and don't every talk like that about Caroline."

Damon looked at me curiously. "Calm down, it was just a joke," he said.

"It was a bad one, Damon," I snapped.

"You would have laughed if it hadn't been about Caroline," Damon protested, but I shook my head.

"You're so goddamn sexist," I said, looking away. "Please, just... Don't ever talk about Caroline like that. Okay?"

I didn't stay around to hear his answer.

-Deffy-

When I met up with Caroline, she and Matt were taking pictures together in their Civil War costumes.

"Oh, Steffy! Take some pictures of us!" Caroline exclaimed as soon as she spotted me. "Matt, hide your cast! It's not era-appropriate!"

I laughed, snapping some pictures of the couple with my phone. "I'll send them to you later, Care," I grinned.

"I want one with you now!" Caroline told me, walking over to me.

"Matt can't take pictures with one hand, Caroline," I said, giving Matt a sympathetic look.

"Here, I can take it," Tyler offered as he walked over to us.

I glanced att Matt, who glared at Tyler. "I'll be on the float," Matt said, walking away.

Tyler looked over at me and Caroline. "I said I was sorry!" he exclaimed, sounding as if he was starting to give up.

"You made out with his mother and then you beat him to a pulp," Caroline said. "You're going to have to do a little bit better than 'sorry.'"

Tyler snapped the picture without saying another word and handed me my phone again. I turned to Caroline. "Did you need help with your dress?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"No, it's okay," she said. "Bonnie will help me. See you later, Steph." she kissed my cheek and walked away. I turned to look at Tyler, who groaned.

"Please don't give me one of your speeches again," he said. "I swear, I know that it's my fault and I regret everything. Matt doesn't want to speak with me and I hate that."

"Tyler," I said calmly. "He'll come around soon enough, okay? Just...hang in there." I offered him a weak smile and left the scene.

I stood alone for a moment, looking around to see if I could spot someone I knew. No one was in sight and I found myself sighing loudly.

"Steffy," someone behind me said suddenly, making me jump.

I turned around and faced Stefan, a hand to my chest. "Oh my God, Stefan," I gasped, hand not moving away from my chest as I tried to calm my heart.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"No, I just enjoy jumping when people say my name after sneaking up on me," I said, taking yet another calming breath.

"I'm sorry," he said, grinning slightly. "I was actually looking for you."

"Oh? What have I done now?" I asked.

"Walk with me?" He motioned with his hand and I nodded, following him before walking next to him. We walked together in silence for quite some time and I figured it was because he was trying to come up with words. When he finally spoke, I can't exactly say that I hadn't been expecting him to ask what was up with me and Damon.

"What do you mean?" I asked, kicking a small stone. "We're friends."

"Yeah, and that's weird enough," Stefan said. "Damon doesn't have friends and now suddenly he has two."

"Two? You mean Elena and me, right?" I asked, trying not to sound jealous again. I was over this. I had left this behind me, hadn't I? My suspicions of what Stefan meant were confirmed by his silence.

"I can't say I understand it," Stefan said. "Because I really don't. I've spent 145 years being tormented, not just by my brother, but by my own mistakes too. Damon has never admitted to regretting anything in his long life and I just don't understand..."

The silence that once again followed made me even more curious. "What don't you understand, Stefan?" I asked, kicking another rock.

"What you see in him," Stefan said. "He's my brother, and I love him... But I don't understand how you could share such a... a _bond_ with him. Especially considering his history with Caroline."

"Damon and I are friends because I try to see the best in him," I said. "I am aware of what he did to Caroline, and I will probably never forgive him for the way he treated her, not just because of her being my cousin, but because I don't think any girl should be treated that way. When it comes to Damon, I know that he has done bad things, but that doesn't mean that _I _should give up on him."

Stefan remained silent. "If I gave up on people so easily, I would never have tried to get you back to your bunny-eating-self after you went of the rails, Stefan," I sighed. My hand rested on his shoulder and he tensed at my words. "So why should I give up on him?"

"I honestly hope you never do," Stefan said. "He's my brother and I feel awful for saying it, but sometimes, I give up on him too easily. I'm glad to have you as a friend, so you can remind me once in a while why he's worth fighting for."

"I'll always be here," I smiled. "At least until some big bad vampire comes along and kills me for meddling too much."

He chuckled at my joke, even though it probably wasn't the best thing to joke about. We kept walking, but froze when we saw Damon following Jeremy, who was obviously trying to get away from him.

"You can start reminding me right now," Stefan said, already walking towards the scene. I hurried after him and got there just to hear Damon speak.

"You'll be unconscious before you even got a word out," Damon growled, still holding onto Jeremy's arm which I had seen him grab just a few seconds earlier.

"Let him go," Stefan ordered. Damon looked at his brother, then me, before finally releasing Jeremy from his grip.

"He's blaming Elena for making me erase his memories of Vicki," Damon explained curtly. "and he's been acting like a little bitch to Steffy every time she's been trying to call him."

I looked at him strangely. "How do you know that?" I asked, but he just sent me a look. "You know what? I don't even want to know," I said and raised my hands up in defeat. "Are you alright, Jeremy?"

"Yeah," Jeremy said, still looking somewhat annoyed at me.

Stefan looked at Damon and then turned to Jeremy. "I think what my brother is trying to tell you is that you shouldn't blame Elena for this," he said thoughtfully. "Damon turned Vicki, I _killed_ her. She was a threat to you and she was a threat to your sister. I'm sorry that it happened and I truly wish it hadn't."

I looked at Damon, who was still glaring at Jeremy. This whole thing must have happened before I got to Mystic Falls. Since I didn't know much about the situation, I figured it was best to just shut up about it.

"You shouldn't have made me forget," Jeremy said, pushing away from Stefan as he walked away.

As we watched him leave, Damon whistled. "Good cop, bad cop. I like it," he told Stefan.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked him, crossing his arms.

"He was being a punk," Damon replied, as if that justified his actions.

"Elena's relationship with her brother is none of your business," Stefan argued. "So stay out of it."

"It's not all about Elena, Brother," Damon said dismissively, motioning to me. "He was a dick to Steffy as well."

"I can protect myself, Damon," I told him. "I was handling Jeremy just fine. You didn't have to interfere."

"See?" Stefan said, crossing his arms.

Damon took a step away from me and I immediately felt a change in the atmosphere. He was clearly offended. "Oh, there's only one 'do gooder' role available," Damon said. "My bad, I'm sorry," he laughed. It was however obvious that he didn't find it amusing at all.

"Get over yourself," Stefan said. "We both know you're not doing this for the right-"

"Shut up, Stefan," I snapped, interrupting him before he could finish. "Go, find Elena and make sure she doesn't get herself in trouble, because she seems to have a habit of doing just that."

Stefan looked at me curiously as I stood up for Damon. He seemed to have completely forgotten our conversation from just a few minutes ago.

Stefan eyed me warily and gave Damon one last warning look before walking away from us. I turned to face Damon and he grinned at me.

"It's amazing how you just have to be a little sassy to get me turned on," he said.

"You're shameless," I said, trying to keep a straight face. "And I meant what I said earlier. You don't have to stand up for me."

"In that case, you don't have to stand up for me either," Damon told me. "I can handle my brother perfectly fine."

"Will you let me fight my own battles from now on?" I asked.

"Probably not," he replied, not even trying to lie about it.

"Then I won't let you stand alone either," I said.

"Why does it feel like you're swearing your eternal loyalty to me?" Damon chuckled, taking a step toward me, but I backed away.

"My loyalty isn't eternal, since I'm not either," I reminded him. "But I will stand up for you when I feel like I have to. No matter how good you are at snapping necks yourself."

"Don't expect anything less from me then," Damon told me before walking away. I stayed In my place for a good few minutes, not entirely sure where I should go. Stefan was with Elena, like I had told him to be. Caroline was off somewhere with Matt and Jeremy was too mad at me to speak. At this moment, I would give anything to at least have Tyler here to speak to, but he was nowhere in sight either.

"Stephanie."

I jumped and turned around, only to face Anna. "You vampires really need to stop sneaking up on me," I told her. "One day I'll set you on fire by accident and it will _not_ be funny."

"Where is Damon?" she asked, getting straight to business.

"He just left me a few minutes ago," I told her and pointed her in the direction Damon had left. She followed my pointed finger with her gaze. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"You should get out of here," she told me. "Before something goes awfully wrong."

Chills went up my spine. "What are you talking about?" She didn't answer, instead she just blurred away before I could stop her. "What the hell is going on...?" I whispered to myself as I hurried to Stefan and Elena. It had already gotten dark outside.

"Stefan!" I called and he turned to look at me. He took Elena's hand and dragged her along, meeting me halfway.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Did Damon do something?"

"No," I snapped, angry that he immediately assumed that it had to do with his brother. "Something is wrong. I don't know what, but Anna was here earlier and-"

I didn't get to finish since Damon had reached us and grabbed my hand, pulling me along. "Damon? What are you doing?" I asked, surprised. "Did Anna find you?"

"I'm saving your life," Damon said, turning to Stefan. "Fifteen words or less: Tomb vamps are here. Founding families are their target," he turned to Stefan. "Get Steffy and Elena out of here."

"Damon, no!" I called after him as he pushed my hand into Stefan's.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan called.

"That's more than fifteen words, Stefan!" Damon called back as he disappeared from my view.

"Jeremy is out here somewhere," Elena told Stefan.

"Let's go find him," Stefan said, but I pulled away from him.

"I can _help_ Stefan," I said. "I don't need to get to hide. I've been practicing a lot lately and I can do a couple of spells that can help."

"We don't need anything to catch people's attention Steffy," Stefan objected. "People catching on fire would probably do that."

"I don't have to set them on _fire_," I snapped, feeling anger well up in me, mixed with a little panic. I had known it all day; that something would happen. I had felt that something was off from the beginning, but I didn't know what it was until now. "I can help."

"Help us find Jeremy first," Stefan told me. "We'll see what we can do after we find him."

"I need to call Caroline," I said. "She's also in danger." We started walking and I dialed Caroline's number, but she didn't answer, which made me worry even more. After hanging up though, I immediately got a text from her.

'_Going home. Tyler's driving and Matt's also in the car = awkward. See you at home!'_

I let out a sigh of relief. She was already on her way home, which meant she was safe.

"Caroline's already on her way home. Matt and Tyler are with her, so they are safe," I told Elena, who nodded. What happened next happened so quickly, that I couldn't even react. Stefan dropped to the ground, clutching his head and groaning in pain.

"My head!" he gasped.

"What?" Elena said and I knelt down, putting my hand on his shoulder, trying to stop whatever was happening.

"My head!" Stefan groaned again, just as a couple of deputies started moving our way. Alaric ran towards us from the other side, stopping the deputies.

"Hey, I got this one. There's one over there," he said. "Go! Go!" he ushered the deputies before turning back to us. He helped Stefan up and together with Elena they carried him toward a pair of stairs.

"We don't know what happened," Elena said. "He just dropped."

"And he's not the only one," Alaric told us. "The cops have gotten everyone who's gone down, injecting them with vervain."

Once again, that panicky feeling started building inside of me, and only one thing was going through my mind.

"What?" Elena asked, but after a long pause, she answered her own question as she looked at Stefan. "They're rounding up the vampires."

As soon as she had spoken, I voiced the only name that kept running though my head as I turned on my heel. "Damon," I said and sprinted.

"Steffy, no!" I heard Elena calling after me.

"Stop, Steffy, stop!" Alaric yelled, but it was already too late. I was running, running, running. I had to find him. If something happened to him...

"Damon!" I yelled, looking around frantically, but he was nowhere in sight. I closed my eyes and clamped my hands together. I pictured Damon's face in my mind and tried to calm myself down, knowing that I wouldn't be able to perform the spell I needed if I couldn't concentrate. "_Reperio..._" I whispered, slowly opening my eyes. In front of me, on the ground, footsteps started appearing. I knew that no one around me was able to see them, because the spell was only visible to the one who cast it. I quickly followed the footsteps, which lead away from the crowd of people. Then I smelled it; smoke. Running towards the building, I nearly fell over when I felt someone pull me back.

"He's in there!" I screamed, struggling against the iron grip that held me in place.

"Steffy, calm down!" Stefan yelled back at me. "You can't go in there!"

"He's going to burn up Stefan! We need to save him! We have to!" I yelled, feeling something sting in my eyes. My whole body was shaking and I couldn't stop the tears that finally welled over.

"The emergency exit," Stefan said, trying to stay calm. "I'll get down there. Just calm down first." I inhaled sharply a few times, but as soon as I felt the smoke in my nose, I couldn't stop imagining Damon black as charcoal as he was burned alive.

"It was John," Elena said. "He organized all of this!"

"I don't _care _who it was, Elena!" I snapped. "I _need _to get Damon out of that basement!"

She stared at me with wide eyes and I couldn't exactly blame her, considering I was taken aback myself. "Let go of me, Stefan!" I yelled and he instantly let go as if I had burnt him. Considering I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind at the moment, I realized that I probably had let my emotions run wild, which actually _had_ caused Stefan some kind of pain since he was rubbing his hand. "We need to get to that emergency exit!" I said before running toward it, not letting anyone stop me now.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" someone from behind us suddenly yelled. I turned around and saw Bonnie. Stefan blurred forward and opened the door. He looked at me and nodded, silently telling me that he would try everything in his power to get Damon out.

I wasn't sure why I was acting the way I was, but I knew one thing, and that was that it had everything to do with Damon. It wasn't just that he was my friend, no. This went _deeper_, somehow, if that was even possible. Sure, I had been confused about my feelings for the vampire since our kiss at the Miss Mystic Pageant and I had kept telling myself that I didn't know where I stood with him. But now, standing here, about to lose him forever... I couldn't imagine a fate worse than being in a world were Damon wasn't around.

"He's my brother, Bonnie," Stefan said, before swinging the door open and running inside the burning building.

"Bonnie, please," I begged. I could feel the tears running down my face, but I didn't bother wiping them away. "Please control the flames. I can't do it. Not in this state. I'll probably just make things worse," I said. "Please."

"I can't, Steffy. He's _bad_ and-"

"Please, Bonnie!" I panicked. "I'm begging you! Control the flames! Let Stefan save him! Help Stefan save Damon, please!"

"Why should I?" Bonnie asked. "He's the reason my grandmother is dead."

"Bonnie," I said, finally feeling something inside of me break. It was as if I could feel Damon slowly suffocating. "If Damon dies, I will _never_ forgive you. If he dies..." I trailed off because for a second, it felt as if my mouth was speaking on it's own, expressing the things I would never dare to express by myself. "If Damon dies, I won't be able to live with myself. I can't _live_ without him, Bonnie. Please," I tried again. "I love- I _care_ about him! Please!"

Both Elena and Bonnie were staring at me because of my slip-up. Honestly, I did love Damon. If anything, I loved him as my friend, but deep inside I knew there was more to it. The _bond_, which Stefan had mentioned, must go a lot deeper considering I felt as if a piece of me was being ripped apart from me as I watched the flames rise, tears in my eyes.

Bonnie grabbed my arm, making me snap back to look at her. "I'm sorry I lied to you about the device," she said and then closed her eyes. "_Ex spiritum intacullum, in terrum incendium, fes matos salvis adisdum!_" I recognized the spell as one that Sheila had showed to us. She was holding the flames off, hopefully long enough for Stefan to get Damon out. I exhaled, feeling a huge weight lift off my chest. Stefan had reached Damon... I knew it.

"Thank you," I whispered, finally brushing away my tears. The feelings I was experiencing at the moment were so strong that I had trouble standing. I had to start moving. I needed to find my Aunt. Damon would be safe, I could feel it. "I need to find my Aunt. I'll be right back!" I said and ran off again. The horrible feeling I had had settled and was almost completely gone. The tomb vampires were dead, that much I knew. It was hard to explain but I just knew. Just like I 'just knew' that I had feelings for Damon. I would be stupid not to acknowledge them at this point.

"Aunt Liz!" I called, spotting my aunt standing with Jenna and Jeremy.

"Steffy, there you are!" she said, embracing me tightly. "There's a fire at the old Gilbert house. You need to get out of here. Go with Jenna and Jeremy and I'll come pick you up later, okay?"

"But Aunt Liz," I started, but she had already darted off to her police-car. I turned to Jenna, who smiled at me weakly.

"Come on, I don't want to get on your Aunt's bad side," Jenna said. "I mean, she does have a gun." I didn't say anything and she took a long look at me. "Are you okay? You look like you've been crying."

I glanced at Jeremy, who was looking like he might burst into tears any given second. _Anna_, I realized, feeling that awful pain again in my heart. He cared about her, just like I cared about Damon. I could imagine what he was feeling like.

"I can't go with you," I told her. "I need to go see Damon." It had come out before I could stop myself.

Jenna raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm sure you can see him later. Your Aunt was very specific when she told me to take you home with me and take care of you. I'm not sure I can go against that order," she said. She patted my shoulder lightly and motioned toward her car. "Come on. You can call Damon when we get home."

Jeremy didn't even look at me as he walked past me and got into the back seat, leaving the front seat open for me. I sat down and put my seat belt on. My hand trembled slightly as I put it to my forehead, but once I did, it felt a little better again.

"Everything will be fine," Jenna told me calmly.

I remembered Caroline's words from this morning, but said nothing as I gave Jenna a small nod before she pulled out of the driveway.

-Deffy-

When we got to the Gilbert house, Jeremy ran straight upstairs immediately. I tried to stop him, but he just ran straight ahead, not looking back once.

"I think that Anna girl might have broken up with him," Jenna said when I walked into the kitchen.

Instantly, I saw Anna's body burning in front of me. "Yeah," I said, feeling the pain all over again. "I guess she might have."

Jenna looked at me warily before walking over to the fridge, taking out some milk. She mixed it together with a few ingredients and warmed the cup in the microwave. Soon after that, I could smell hot chocolate in the room. I looked down at the table as I sat down, refusing to look at Jenna as she prepared the hot chocolate. My Mom used to make me that when I was upset too.

"How are you doing, Steffy?" Jenna finally asked as she sat down in front of me. I glanced up at her and then looked down at the cup she had handed me. Putting it to my lips, I took a small sip, feeling the hot contents burn my tongue slightly. "I get that you might not want to talk about it, but I'm here for you." Jenna's voice soothed me for some reason and she put her hand over mine on the table. "Is it about Damon?"

I snapped my head up, my eyes probably as wide as saucers. "What?" Had I heard her right? Had she just asked me if it was about Damon?

"You were refusing to come with me and Jeremy because you wanted to make sure that Damon was okay for some reason," Jenna said. She seemed hesitant, almost as if she was testing how far she could go with the conversation without having me shut her down. "Is everything okay with the two of you? He hasn't hurt you has he? He is a little older than you, I mean, so I get that he could-"

"He hasn't hurt me," I interrupted quickly. "It's not that."

Jenna took a moment to think about what to say next. I understood that this must be hard for her. I was Elena's friend and she was trying to raise Elena and Jeremy all by herself, which must be hard enough. Now, to have me, yet another teenager, at her house, visibly upset about something, couldn't be easy.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she finally asked, and the next second, I realized I did. It would be hard to talk to Caroline about it because in Caroline's mind, Damon was her ex. Elena might be easier, but I knew that she and Stefan didn't exactly trust Damon now either, so neither of them would be of any help. Bonnie proved tonight that she didn't particularly care about Damon and I knew that the only reason she saved him was because I made a pretty clear case that I wouldn't be able to live without him. The latter didn't even make sense to me at the moment, but in my heart I knew it was true.

"It's been really confusing, you know," I started. It was difficult to form words when you had to keep a lot of secrets at the same time, such as vampires and witches and everything else that had to do with that. "I didn't like him much at first, but then he kind of grew at me. We started hanging out more and we became...friends."

Jenna smiled lightly as she took a sip of her own cup. "Then why do you have that look on your face?" she asked.

"What look?"

"The one that says that you're clearly _not_ just friends." I would lie if I said that I was surprised; I knew that it was pretty obvious that I had deeper feelings that I had first thought.

"I think I might have feelings for him," I admitted.

"Are these feelings just appearing or have you had them for a while?" Jenna asked, a small smile still on her face. I could tell that she was happy that I was opening up to her.

"I don't know... I think they've been there, but I just never realized..." I trailed off. "He kissed me, you know," I informed her, smiling at the memory. Butterflies appeared in my stomach as I thought of the way we had clung to each other.

"What? When? Did you kiss him back?" Jenna asked, her eyes wide as she grinned at me excitedly. I could tell that she was happy for some reason.

"Yeah... At the Miss Mystic Pageant," I said. "And yes, of course I kissed him back."

"Oh, it makes sense now!" Jenna said. "When he was dancing with Elena and you were taking that Amber-girl's place, the two of you couldn't keep your eyes off of each other!"

I remembered the dance and blushed lightly. "I...I didn't realize until tonight though. I was confused and I asked him for some space and time. I wanted to think," I swallowed thickly. "And tonight, it felt as if I was losing him, and I..." I couldn't finish as I thought about the fire again and the way every piece of my body had hurt while Damon had been in danger.

"You really like him, don't you?" Jenna asked finally, smiling at me again.

"I do," I whispered, looking down again. And I really did. I really, really, really liked him.

"I think he cares about you too," Jenna said. "I mean, I don't know him much, but since he was willing to wait for you to figure out where you stood, I think I can say that he likes you."

"Do you really think so?" I asked and she nodded.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?" Jenna said. "Just be careful and don't jump into this too quickly."

"I won't," I said, just as my phone started ringing. I frowned. For a moment I had completely forgotten there was an outside world. I looked at the caller-ID, which flared up with my Aunt's name. "Aunt Liz?" I asked as I picked up the phone, but I froze, hearing her sob on the other line.

"_Steffy_," she cried and immediately that awful feeling was back in my stomach.

"What's wrong, Aunt Liz?" I asked, standing up. "Calm down and tell me what happened."

"_C-Caroline,_" Liz hiccupped. "_She was in an accident. It's bad, Steffy. It's really, really bad._"

"Where are you? At the hospital? I'll be there as soon as I can," I swallowed, feeling my throat closing up with tears that I was fighting to keep in.

"_Y-Yes. Just come, please,_" my Aunt pleaded.

"I'll be there soon," I said and hung up. I turned to Jenna who was wearing a worried expression on her face. "Caroline was in an accident. I need to get to the hospital. Can I borrow your car?"

Jenna stood up. "Of course," she said, handing me her car keys. "Do you want me to drive you, or-"

"No, it's okay," I said. "I'll be okay." I walked toward the door and Jenna followed me. When I opened the door, I felt as if the air was knocked out of my lungs.

There, right in front of me, stood Damon and Elena; kissing. They pulled apart and looked away from each other before looking toward me and Jenna. I opened my mouth slightly to speak, but I couldn't form any words. It felt as if everything that I had just confessed to Jenna, meant nothing. My feelings didn't matter at all. Damon and Elena had kissed. Elena had kissed her boyfriend's brother and Damon... He had kissed her. I wanted to sink through the ground and disappear, but instead I turned to Jenna. "Thank you for the talk," I said, before stepping off the porch. I walked with my head held high past Elena, who followed me with her gaze.

"Stephanie," she said, but I felt nothing but rage and sadness at the moment.

"Shut up, Elena," I told her, stopping in my stride towards Jenna's car. "Just shut up and don't ever talk to me again."

"Elena," Jenna interrupted. "It's late. You should probably come inside." I looked at Jenna, who was looking annoyed at her niece and her behavior. She was biting her inner cheek and giving Damon the most judgmental look she could muster. Quite frankly, I didn't blame her. She had just listened to me when I confessed how I felt about Damon, just to see the same thing that I had just seen. If Jenna hadn't been here, I would probably have set Damon on fire by now.

Elena followed Jenna inside and Jenna gave me one last look before closing the door behind them. I looked at Damon, feeling the rage fade. Instead, it's place was filled with hurt and betrayal.

He looked...like he regretted something.

I turned around again and walked toward the car which was parked on the driveway.

"Steffy, wait," Damon said as he walked toward me. He grabbed my hand, but I pulled away from him quickly.

"Don't touch me, Damon," I snapped. "Why don't you go sneak up to Elena's room and make out with your brother's girlfriend some more. You seemed to like that." I felt like I wasn't being harsh enough on him, because I honestly didn't have the energy to yell like I wanted to.

"I don't see why you should care," he snapped back. "You obviously _don't_!"

"What the Hell are you talking about, Damon?" I yelled at him. "When have I _not_ cared about you? You're the one who betrayed me! You're the one who kissed Elena!"

"I was thanking her for being there when you obviously were not!" he yelled back. "She was there, when Stefan pulled me out! She was there and she convinced Bonnie to control the flames so Stefan could get me out! You _left_. You left _me_!" His face was rage filled and I couldn't interrupt him yet because he just continued ranting. "She risked her safety, while you were _here_. Safe at home!"

I took a moment before answering him. "You think I abandoned you?" I asked incredulously. "I was the first one on the scene, Damon! I was the one who was about to _run into the damn building_! I was the one who begged Bonnie to help save you, because I was so emotionally _destroyed _that I couldn't perform any magic myself!"

I took a few breaths, feeling tears stinging in my eyes again. "You were my best friend, Damon," I cried, letting out a sob. "And I cared about you so damn much that Stefan had to hold me back from running in. I had to hurt him so that he would let go."

Damon stared at me, clearly taken aback by my revelation. "Steffy," he said, walking toward me again. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"_You're _the one who confused me," I said, raising my voice again. Hot tears slipped down my cheeks. "You confused me by kissing me, making me think that you _cared_. But all this time, you've been pining over Katherine and _Elena_."

"Steffy, please, listen to me-" he grabbed my hand, but I put my other to his chest and pushed, feeling the familiar warmth wash over me as I used my power to shove him hard. He stumbled back and stared at me.

"_No_, Damon," I said sternly. The tears were still flowing and I couldn't tell if they were angry-tears or sad-tears anymore. "You can take Elena with you and you can both go to Hell," I told him. "Because right now, I don't want to speak with either of you ever again and my cousin needs me." I turned on my heel and walked away from him again.

"Steffy, stop!" he called after me and I looked up at him as I unlocked Jenna's car.

"Don't speak to me ever again," I repeated. "You've lost my friendship. Worse," I said, wiping away a tear. "You've lost _me_."

I got into the car and drove off as quickly as I could, watching Damon in the rear view mirror as he watched me drive away. The tears wouldn't stop as I drove to the hospital. The hurt and betrayal was just too much, on both Elena's and Damon's side. And to top it all off, Caroline was in the hospital and I didn't know if she would survive...

At the reception desk I asked for my Aunt and the nurse pointed me in her direction. I found her in the waiting room, sitting next to Matt who was looking shaken up as well. Aunt Liz raised her head and looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Steffy," she whispered, sobbing into her hands as I ran toward her and embraced her, falling to my knees in front of her. I cried into her shoulder and tried to soothe her at the same time.

I thought back to how the day had started. To Caroline's reassuring smile that I didn't know if I would ever get to see again as she told me that everything would be fine.

She had been wrong.

Everything was far from fine.

* * *

**_A/N:_**

**_Oooooooh... Steffy... I hate having Steffy sad, but it needed to be done!_**

**_So, what did you guys think? Did you love it or hate it?_**

**_Please, if/when you review, please answer these questions:_**

**_1) What was your favorite part in the finale?_**

**_2) What did you like the least?_**

**_3) Did you see any spelling mistakes? I spelled checked twice and read through it thrice, but you know how you get blinded with your own work, so I probably missed something!_**

**_4) What do you think is in store for Steffy and Damon now that Steffy is so upset with him that she doesn't want to hear from him?_**

**_5) What would you like to see in season 2?_**

**_Also, I wanted to tell you guys that the song I listened to a lot when writing that Deffy scene with them arguing in the end was _**_"Never Say Never (Don't let me go)"_**_ by _**_The Fray_**_! If you plan on re-reading the chapter sometime, listen to that song while reading that part! *sigh* I love them so much..._**

**_Another thing: I've already started writing Season 2, but it'll probably take a while until I update, but I WILL keep posting the story HERE, so I won't be making a new one for Season 2!_**

**_I'll give you a tiny spoiler for Season 2: We'll dig even deeper in Steffy's ancestry and believe me, that some of the things that will be revealed will be...surprising... Unless you've already figured out some of it! ;)_**

**_One last thing and then I'll let you go! I have this story planned out for the whole of Season 3 as well, but I don't know for sure if I'll be continuing into Season 4 considering that I don't particularly like how things got so complicated in that season... There is however a spin-off that will probably be posted mid-season 3! Tell me if you'd like to know more!_**

**_Thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing so far!_**

**_I love you guys!_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy_**


	24. Chapter 23

******A/N: Hey guys! I'm BACK! :D I've worked my ass off with this chapter and if you follow me on tumblr, you know that I've begun writing the next chapter as well! I promised that I would post this chapter before the new year and I am doing so now! ;)**

******I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

******Also, I would like to thank grapejuice101 for giving me an idea or two for this chapter! ;) Help is always welcome sweethearts! :D**

******Without wasting your time any further, please enjoy! ;)**

******P.S On tumblr I have some artwork (edited photos) posted! Check them out if you're not afraid of spoilers! ;)**

******Word count: Approx 10,716 words**

* * *

**Chapter 23 – The Return**

It was awfully quiet in the waiting room. Aunt Liz sat beside me, her head buried in her hands as I tried to comfort her by patting her back. I hadn't spoken since I arrived and Matt had gone off to get some coffee for us. How could this have happened?

Matt had tried explaining to me what had happened, but he didn't understand half of it himself. He told me about Tyler's sudden seizure or whatever it had been. I _needed _answers to why my _sister_ was in surgery and everyone else was _fine_.The frightened look in Matt's eyes when I had suddenly started yelling at him out of frustration. I had slammed my hand against the table, stood up and kicked over a chair in frustration, so Aunt Liz had stepped in and told me to calm down or else I would be thrown out.

I apologized to Matt after taking a walk through the hallways, trying to find anyone who could tell me _anything_ about Caroline's situation. No one told me anything, so instead, I returned to the waiting room, where I found that Tyler had joined our small group.

He looked up at me apologetically but I turned my head sideways and kept walking to the end of the hallway. Seeing a vending machine and feeling my stomach grumble, I decided to get myself something. Perhaps I'd feel better after getting my sugar up. I tried to think of something else, but every time I wasn't thinking about Caroline, my mind went to my anger at Elena and Damon. So instead, I tried to focus on my hunger.

Just as everything else was going wrong, the machine swallowed my dollar and didn't give me my chocolate bar. I tried tapping the glass a few times before pushing the machine a bit harder, letting out a frustrated growl. It was about then that Tyler joined me.

"Steffy," he breathed, his voice surprisingly thick.

"Did you get checked up?" I asked. He winced at the coldness in my tone and I glared at him. I knew it wasn't his fault completely, but he _had _been the one driving. Sure, it wasn't his fault that he had gotten an epileptic seizure or something, but I needed _someone _to blame.

"Yes, but that isn't relevant," he said, looking down at his feet.

I had to admit, it was strange seeing him in such a vulnerable state. "What do you want Tyler?" My question echoed in the almost empty hallway and he looked up at me again, not even trying to cover up how upset he was.

"I'm sorry..." he trailed off. "Caroline..." My heart clenched. "It's... It's all my fault..." He grabbed his head and leaned back against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position. I looked at him for a long while before sitting down next to him. I didn't even look at him as I spoke.

"It's not just your fault," I told him.

"How can you say that it wasn't my fault? You weren't there!" he protested as I snapped my head in his direction.

"Then _make_ me understand what happened!" I said, raising my voice just slightly. "Tell _me,_ what _you_ felt! Explain to me what happened!"

Tyler sighed. "I don't even understand it myself," he said. "One second everything was fine, the next, I was hearing this- This awful high-pitched sound and it felt as if my brain was on _fire_."

My mind flashed to the way Stefan had looked when the device had been activated. Could it have been that it had affected Tyler as well? "When? When did it happen?" I asked.

"About five minutes after we had started driving home?" He sounded unsure. "I don't really remember. I just know that one second everything was fine and the next...it wasn't. I was unconscious at the scene, so I didn't see Caroline collapse." He looked at me for a long moment and I didn't say anything else. "Please, Stephanie... I know that I've been a jerk multiple times, but please believe me when I tell you that I would never intentionally hurt Caroline."

I looked away from him, and didn't say a word. I couldn't bring myself to, even though I knew that I probably should tell him that I didn't blame him for what happened. If it really had been the device that had effected him, he couldn't have helped it. It wasn't Tyler's fault then, it was John Gilbert who had activated it.

Without saying another word, Tyler stood up and walked over to the vending machine. He punched it once, _hard_, and the chocolate bar I had wanted fell out. He picked it up and walked over to me, holding it out for me to take. The unanswered request still hung around us as I took the bar from him, but he didn't let go of it just yet. I bit my lip and met his eyes.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Tyler," I said, letting him know without actually answering. He nodded and let go of the bar.

"Me too," he confessed, finally walking away from me.

This brings me back to me and Aunt Liz in the waiting room and Matt getting coffee. Aunt Liz's phone started ringing and when she answered, we learned that even having one's daughter in surgery didn't matter when you were the Sheriff in town. She had to get to work, but she told me to keep her posted if anything changed. Immediately, she had gone from concerned mother, to serious, all-business Sheriff.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I tried to concentrate on looking around with my mind. No, I wasn't opening up my mind to mind reading any time soon, but I wondered if I would be able to feel Caroline like I had felt _Stefan's brother_ multiple times before, most recently tonight when he was almost burned alive.

"Steffy?" I snapped my eyes open at the sound of Matt's voice. There was no concentrating here. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I... I just need some air," I whispered, feeling awful again, thinking about both Caroline and Damon. "I'll be back soon," I said, but I didn't know if I believed it myself. I ran outside the hospital, needing to get away from everyone. I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes again. Getting a grip on my feelings was now the most important thing. Who knew what could happen if I lost control? Slowly, I looked up and right ahead of me. When did it start raining? No... It wasn't raining... I was _crying_.

"Steffy?" Bonnie asked as she stood in front of me. "How is Caroline?" I just stared at her, unable to respond, not really wanting to anyway. "I understand," Bonnie nodded, putting a hand to my shoulder before walking inside, probably to find Matt or at least someone who would be more responsive than I was.

"_Caucasian man in his mid-thirties, several severed fingers and a stab wound to the abdomen_"

"Steffy! There you are!" Elena called, running toward me. "It's my uncle John, he was stabbed by someone. I don't know what to do," she said, looking at me nervously. At the moment she was the last one I wanted to talk to. "How is Caroline? Bonnie called me and-"

"Will you just leave me _the Hell alone_, Elena?" I snapped and she looked at me taken aback by my harshness.

"I know that you're worried, Steffy," she tried again, ignoring my _polite_ request. "But she will be okay."

"I _said_, leave me alone," I repeated. The glare I sent her made her back away from me, but she still looked confused.

"Have I done something...?" she began, trailing off, letting the question hang in the air.

"You know very well what you've done," I snapped again. "Leave."

Elena bit her lip, but finally went inside, leaving me alone again. The tight feeling in my chest suddenly overwhelmed me, as I finally gave up and broke down. I cried for Caroline, for what had happened with my mother, my father and everyone else in my father's family. I cried over what had happened between Damon and Elena, and how _stupid_ I had been to actually believe that Damon might have feelings for me. Mostly, I cried for myself and everything I would probably have to endure because of what I knew about the supernatural world.

As I sobbed, I felt an arm wrap around me. I knew who it was, but at first, I didn't have the strength to push him away. I sobbed and looked up to meet his blue eyes.

"Leave me alone, Damon," I cried, my body shaking. "Please, just leave."

"I can help her, Steffy," Damon said, trying to force me to look at him. "I can help Caroline."

"Why the Hell would you do that?" I snapped. "You don't care about _her_! You don't care about anyone but yourself!" Hurt flashed through his eyes, but I ignored it. I pushed his arm away from me. "I've already told you to go to hell so don't make me waste my breath saying it again."

"I do care-" he stopped abruptly, shaking his head, frustrated. "I can _help_," he repeated. "I can slip her some of my blood and she'll heal." I stayed quiet, trying to ignore him, but the temptation stayed there. I had seen first hand what vampire blood could do to heal someone. Giving Caroline Damon's blood would save her, but if something went wrong and she died, she would wake up in transition.

"_Leave_," I said, not wanting to hear another word. Damon winced, sighed and then finally stood up before walking away.

I tried to think of anything else that would save Caroline. I knew the situation wasn't good and that there was a risk that she might never wake after surgery. Letting Caroline fight on her own wasn't an option for me. I didn't need taking risks with her not waking. For a moment, I thought of every spell I knew how to perform which might help her heal and get through this. However, simply taking her pain away, wouldn't heal any internal bleeding or heal broken bones and I wasn't even sure what injuries she had gotten. I didn't know any spells that would be effective in healing someone completely and not leave any consequences behind.

At this moment, the only thing that would work that I knew of, would be vampire blood. I needed to know if there was a risk that she would die even if Damon managed to slip his blood into her system somehow, so I walked back into the hospital again after wiping my tears away.

In the hallway, I found Bonnie, Elena and Damon discussing whether or not Damon should give Caroline his blood to heal her.

"It will heal her, Elena," Damon said. "As long as no one walks in there and kills her, she will heal perfectly fine. She'll be up running around shopping before you can say 'Barbie doll,'" he told Elena.

Thinking it through one last time, I made my decision. "Do it," I said, making them turn to look at me. Damon was the last one to turn around and he looked at me warily.

"It's too risky," Elena protested again, but I didn't even look at her. Instead, I looked at Bonnie, who nodded, understanding what I was silently saying.

"It's Caroline," she said. "We can't let her die."

"Are you sure?" Damon asked me, ignoring Bonnie.

"I've already decided. It's the least you can do after everything you've put her through," I told him.

"If I do this," he started, "you and I, talk later?" he asked, but I shook my head.

"I've already said, seen and heard everything," I told him. "Nothing will change my mind, but you'll do this anyway." I didn't know why he would do it, but I just knew he would. He would do it for me, a voice inside me said, but I knew that he wouldn't. In some sick and twisted part of his brain, he would probably think him doing this would make me soften up a bit, but it wouldn't. I would be thankful, yes, but after what I've realized and seen tonight, I would never be able to just forget and forgive.

"Fine," Damon finally agreed and I walked off with Bonnie. When I glanced back, I could see Elena and Damon talking. I pushed back the anger that was building up again and turned to Bonnie. "Do you really think it'll work?" I asked, mostly for reassurance.

"I believe it will," Bonnie replied. "Why are you so cold toward Damon?" she frowned. "I mean, you pretty much admitted that you liked him as more than a friend tonight... Haven't you two talked yet?"

I sighed, looking back at Elena and Damon again. "Something happened and I realized that he never felt the same for me as I felt for him," I said.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked, but I was still looking over at Elena and Damon. Jenna had now joined them and she was glaring at Damon as if she hated him more than anyone in the world at the moment.

"Long story, but the short version will probably come out sooner or later," I told her. "I'll let Elena be the one to tell you."

"Elena?" Bonnie asked confused as we sat down in the waiting room. Thankfully, neither Elena Nor Damon were in my line of sight anymore. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"I met them when I was over at her place," I said. "Or rather, I saw them together..."

Bonnie just frowned even deeper. "But that doesn't make any sense. Elena got home like a few minutes after John Gilbert was stabbed by someone. If you would have met them, that would mean that she lied to me about when she got home."

It was suspicious, but I told Bonnie that I didn't want to think about it anymore. She told me that we should probably go home, considering that Damon wouldn't be able to slip Caroline his blood tonight anyway. I hated leaving the hospital, but after both Bonnie and Matt ganged up on me and my Aunt practically threw me out of the hospital, I decided it might be better to go. I wouldn't get to see Caroline until the morning anyway, so there really was no point in me staying. I still felt like I should be there for moral support, but as mentioned, my Aunt thought otherwise.

-Deffy-

I was home alone when the door-bell rang. My Aunt was still writing reports on the events that had taken place this evening, so I hesitated before walking downstairs.

"Steffy, open up immediately," Elena's voice called out. I rolled my eyes, not wanting to deal with her right now.

"Go away, Elena," I called back, not opening the door. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I didn't kiss Damon!" she yelled furiously, and for a second, I thought I had heard her childishly stomp her foot against the porch. "Now open up before I call Stefan and tell him to break the door."

I opened the door and she stomped inside. "I _saw _you, Elena," I said. "How can you say that it wasn't you when I _saw_ you?"

"It wasn't _me_," she cried out frustrated. "It was _Katherine_!"

I froze. "What?"

"Apparently, Katherine is in town, and since she looks _exactly_ like me, she managed to trick Damon into thinking she was me," Elena explained. "I didn't kiss Damon. He kissed Katherine."

I thought about what she said. It made sense a bit more now. Considering what Bonnie had told me at the hospital about Elena getting home late... Chills went up my spine as I realized that the person I thought had been Elena, was actually a vampire. The same vampire that Damon had been in love with and that had turned both him and his brother, making them hate each other.

"But he kissed _her_, thinking it was _you_," I said. "That's just as bad."

"On _his _part," Elena argued. "I didn't kiss him and I never would! I wouldn't do that to you, Steffy." Elena's expression softened and I felt my anger at her fade quickly with each breath I took. "You're my friend, Steph. One of my best friends and I would never, never in a million years do that to you. Especially after what you confessed when Damon was inside that burning building."

It all seemed like it had happened years ago. "It doesn't matter anymore," I told her. "My feelings for Damon are gone. I got rid of them the second I saw him kiss you- I mean Katherine."

Elena looked at me sceptically. "Considering that you basically said that you love him, I don't think it's possible of you just to let him go like that," she said. I felt my heart flutter as she mentioned love.

"How I felt about him really doesn't matter anymore," I tried again, this time to convince myself to stay strong. "We have nothing together. Not anymore."

"Whatever you say, I'll still find it hard to believe," Elena said. "You should have heard what Damon said as we drove to the Boarding House. He didn't tell me what he thought he had done until we got to Stefan, but I could tell that he regretted it immensely."

"I honestly don't care, Elena," I said. Somewhere deep inside, I probably did care, but at the same time it served him right.

"Steffy," Elena sighed. "Look, I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, but I've seen you and Damon interact. No matter how much he tries to cover it up, he cares about you. He made a stupid mistake with Katherine and from what we know, he might not be telling the entire truth."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"I mean that we don't know if he _really_ thought it was me or if he knew that it was Katherine," she explained. "I mean, if he knew it was Katherine... Well, he's been looking for her for a century and a half. Don't you think he would have done_ something_?"

I tried to think about it but I really didn't want to, so I simply dismissed it with a shrug. Elena nodded once, understanding and checked her phone.

"I need to head home," she said. "It's late and there's a lot to do tomorrow. The town is holding a memorial for Mayor Lockwood."

"I won't be going, I think," I said. "I want to stay with Caroline."

"Damon will be giving her his blood tonight," Elena informed me. "She should be better by morning."

"Thank you for telling me," I said, smiling lightly. It was the first time I had smiled since everything happened.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Steph," Elena said and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"Good night, Elena," I said and shut the door before walking upstairs again. I made sure to lock my window completely so that Damon wouldn't be able to sneak in like he used to. Tonight, I wanted to be alone. No... I just didn't want him around, I realized as I finally felt fatigue take over.

-Deffy-

"_Steffy!" Caroline screamed. I whirled around and tried to see her, but I could only hear her cries._

"_Caroline!" I yelled back, running into the woods. "Caroline-" I tripped over my own two feet and fell to the ground. The breath was knocked out of my lungs and I couched._

"_Steffy! Help me!"_

"_Caroline!" Tears ran down my cheeks as the forest started burning. "No, no!" I scrambled up to my feet, feeling an unbelievable rush inside me. "Caroline!"_

_-_Deffy-

I woke with a start and looked around, still panting. What the hell...?

"Caroline?" I whispered out before remembering that Caroline was fine. She was at the hospital. Everything was okay... I closed my eyes and rested back against the pillow again. I needed to sleep.

-Deffy-

Later that morning, after waking up, I walked over to my Aunt's room, only to find the bed made and her not there. My dream was already half forgotten as I walked down the stairs and saw a small note on the kitchen table.

'**Spent the night at the hospital with Care. Came home just to leave this note.**** Get ready for the ****wake****. We need to be there ****at noon**' it said. I rolled my eyes and threw the note in the trash can before running upstairs to get dressed. Of course she had told me to go home and rest, but stayed behind herself. I pulled on a black shirt, a black cardigan, my polka dotted skirt and some flats before pulling my hair up in a messy bun. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I put on some mascara and lip gloss and then finally grabbed my jacket, which I would probably just leave in the car later, and walked out of the house, locking it after me.

When I got to the hospital, I was met by Matt who had apparently been expecting me. "You've been here all night?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah, with your Aunt," he told me and I nodded. "You aren't mad that we made you go home, are you?"

"No, I'm more annoyed if anything," I admitted. "But that doesn't matter. I get why you made me go. I guess I was capable of punching a doctor last night," I grinned.

"Yeah, probably," Matt chuckled.

"Was no one else here?" I asked, wondering if Damon had managed to sneak past them.

"Stefan's brother Damon stopped by late last night," Matt said and I bit my lip. So he hadn't even tried to sneak past them? Had they seen him feed Caroline his blood? What was I thinking, of course they hadn't! Otherwise Damon would already have been staked!

"How is Caroline today then?" I asked and Matt grinned wider.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" he suggested and led me to Caroline's room. I felt everything inside me relax, seeing Caroline wide awake and completely healthy.

"Jersey Shore's on, Steph!" she grinned happily and I ran to her and embraced her, tears stinging in my eyes thinking about how I had almost lost her.

"Careful," she laughed. "I'm still a little sore."

"I'm sorry," I said, a tear rolling down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly and smiled at her. "I was just so worried."

"It's okay, Steffy," Caroline smiled. "The doctors are saying that I'm healing really quick."

"It's a miracle, really," Matt said, kissing Caroline softly on the lips.

I smiled at the two of them. "Wow, Care," I said. "Now you can brag about being a miracle too, not just Miss Mystic."

Caroline simply grinned at me as she scooted over a bit and motioned for me to lay down next to her, which I did without protest.

"I'll leave the two of you alone," Matt said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"So?" Caroline asked finally as we got settled next to each other under the covers. "Anything interesting happen while I was out?"

"Nothing much," I replied, trying to sound careless. Caroline looked at me sceptically. Maybe I wasn't as good at hiding things from her as I used to be?

"Steph," Caroline said, her voice a tone of warning.

I hesitated a bit, but finally caved. "I guess I broke whatever-it-was off with Damon," I said and her eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked, kind of shocked.

"Yeah..." I mumbled, not really wanting to bring it all up again.

"Why?" she asked, her tone low.

"Because I saw him kissing someone else, I guess," I admitted.

"Maybe it didn't mean anything?" Caroline suggested. "I mean, guys like him probably kiss girls all the time, right? And it doesn't have to mean anything."

"Are you defending him?" I asked incredulously.

"No, I'm just trying to understand when you started to care that he kissed someone else," she explained, and to be honest, it kind of made sense. Caroline didn't know how far Damon and I had gotten in our relationship before this all happened. I had tried to keep it all on the down low, not wanting her to know that I was actually thinking about getting together with her ex. At least that was what she saw him as. However, that didn't change the fact that Caroline had once told me that she didn't care what Damon did, but that she didn't want me to get hurt.

"He kissed me," I finally said and her eyes widened.

"What?"

"He kissed-"

"I _heard _you!" Caroline exclaimed, interrupting me. She was sitting up straighter. "When did this happen?"

"At the pageant," I mumbled, closing my eyes, remembering the kiss again and wincing inwardly because of the pain that memory now caused me.

"The pageant? Miss Mystic?" Caroline asked frantically. "Why am I hearing about this just now? I'm your sister! I should have been the first one to know! I am so incredibly offended that I can't-"

"Caroline!" I exclaimed loudly, interrupting her rant. "It doesn't matter. I was confused for a while because we had become such great friends and I didn't want-"

"Don't you dare say that you didn't want to 'risk losing his friendship' because that is the lamest excuse in the book of cliches," she grumbled, once again interrupting me.

"I didn't want to risk him not feeling the same about me," I finished and she groaned.

"When did your life become the perfect teen drama?" she asked. "I swear you're more entertaining right now than _The Real Housewives of Atlanta_."

"Trust me, it's not as fun as it seems," I told her. "Anyway, just as I realized that I actually care about him, I get a call from Aunt Liz that you were in an accident and then I get up to get here, when I see him kissing this other girl." I told her the rest of the story, how I had argued with him and so on, keeping the supernatural details out of it. When she asked me whether I knew the girl or not, I told her that I had never seen her before because it was easier to just let her think that. When I was finally done telling her how _done_ I was with Damon, she was looking at me really weird.

"You know, not that I'm on Damon's side here or anything," Caroline began, thinking a bit before continuing. "But don't you think you were kind of irrational when you told him that you _never_ want to see him again?"

"What do you mean, 'irrational?'" I asked.

"I mean, you were obviously upset about me and then you see Damon kissing some unknown girl, which only made you feel even worse," she said, shrugging lightly. "I mean, don't you think you might have acted like that because your emotions were, like, all over the place? Maybe you took out all of your anger and frustration, and even sadness on Damon?"

I frowned. "Can we just stop talking about this?" I asked. "I need to call Aunt Liz and tell her that I won't be going to the wake."

"Wake?" Caroline asked. "For Mayor Lockwood, right?" I looked at her and she shrugged. "Matt told me."

"Yeah, that wake," I said, dialing the number, but Caroline grabbed my phone and hung up. "Hey!" I protested, but she simply shook her head.

"You need to go to that wake," she told me.

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"_Because_," she said. "Tyler has _no one_." I looked at her strangely for a moment. Was she really telling me that _I _should be the one to comfort Tyler Lockwood? I mean sure, yesterday we had had a little moment by the vending machine and I felt bad for him for losing his dad, no matter how much of a dick his dad might have been to him and everyone else. But for me to go and _comfort_ him? That was a whole new level of strange for me.

"It'll be weird if I try to be there for him," I argued. "I mean, I hardly even know him really. We've had like, what, four proper conversations?"

"Steffy, please," Caroline said. "It can be good for you too to focus on helping someone else too. Get your mind off of Damon."

"I wouldn't need to get my mind off of him if everyone just stopped talking about him in my presence," I groaned. "Fine," I caved. "I'll go to the wake and be some kind of moral support for Tyler, if he wants to have me as moral support, and only then!"

Caroline beamed at me. "You're wonderful, Steph," she told me and I smiled back at her.

"I love you, Care."

"I love you too."

-Deffy-

I texted Aunt Liz that I would meet her at the Lockwood mansion and then took my time driving there. A lot of things were going through my mind at the moment. Caroline and my dream about her one of them, Damon another and Tyler a third. Deciding that I didn't really want to think about the first two for a while, I turned to the third issue. Tyler, and how Caroline thought I should be there for him, even though the two of us aren't really friends. Sure, I felt bad for him because I could relate to losing a parent, but that didn't automatically mean that I knew what to say. Elena had lost people as well and I do think that she would be better at talking with him considering that she had known him her whole life. Although, I could always give it a try. He and I had connected a bit in the hospital and at Founder's Day as well when I stood up for him.

The first person I met when I got to the Lockwood mansion was Stefan.

"Hey," he greeted me and I immediately stepped into his arms and embraced him. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "I found out what happened last night," he explained as I pulled away from him.

"Good," I said quickly. "I mean, why wouldn't I be? It's not as if...we were together." I didn't even want to say his name anymore. Stefan nodded sadly.

"I know," he said, putting his arms around me again now that I had broken that barrier. "I still want to thank you though. You convinced Bonnie to save my brother. So... Thank you."

I nodded at him and smiled weakly. "No problem, Stefan," I told him. "Although, at the time, I honestly didn't really think about you when I asked Bonnie to save him."

Running a hand through his hair, he motioned for me to come with him. "Walk with me?" he suggested and I nodded again. "Elena told me what you said that night," he admitted after we had walked in silence for a while.

"I'm not surprised," I told him. "It was bound to get out sometime."

"You know you admitted to having feelings-"

"I am well aware of the things I said, Stefan," I interrupted. "But it doesn't mean anything anymore."

"Good," he said.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Good?" I questioned.

"My brother has done some bad things in the past," Stefan said. "Of course, so have I, but this is really about Damon... Well," he cleared his throat, "I had begun to see a slight change in him when it comes to you. I figured, that maybe you could change him for the better. I thought he cared enough about you so that he wouldn't hurt you."

"Stefan," I began, but he held up his hand.

"I know that changing Damon is impossible," he clarified. "But I wanted him to at least have one good thing in his life... _You_. Now, I don't want him anywhere near you, because all he ever does is _hurt _people."

"I can take care of myself, Stefan," I told him, coming to a stop.

"I know you can," he smiled kindly. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you."

"Thank you," I said. "I really appreciate it."

I looked away from him, toward the mansion entrance where Tyler stood, greeting people as the walked in. "I should go and pay my respects," I told Stefan, who nodded at me. I gave him one last smile before walking away.

I walked up to Tyler as fast as I could, wanting to get away from Stefan and everything else for just a moment. Stefan had managed to get me to think about Damon again, and that was someone I _never _wanted to think about again.

"Tyler," I said as I approached him. "I'm sorry for your loss," I told him again, just like I had in the hospital.

"Thank you for coming," Tyler said, almost automatically. No. It wasn't almost; it definitely was automatically.

When my mother died, that had been my way to respond every time someone told me how sorry they were. Just like Tyler, I didn't cry, but my reasons were of course for another reason. However, that didn't mean that I didn't see the empty look in his eyes. Perhaps it had to do with my powers, but I could also see how he wasn't really sure how to act. His father's death had been so sudden, that he hadn't had time to prepare himself.

"Could we maybe talk later?" I asked him suddenly, surprising even myself.

"Yeah, sure," he said, looking at me as if he had seen a ghost. It was obvious that he didn't understand why I wanted to talk to him and quite honestly, I didn't know it myself. I just felt like I should.

I walked away from him and into the house, only to be greeted by Mrs. Lockwood, who had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Stephanie," she said, speaking to me with my full name.

"Mrs. Lockwood," I said, embracing her because it felt like the right thing to do. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Stephanie," she said. "Thank you for coming too. It means a lot to have all Founding Families here with us today. Tyler and I both appreciate it."

"I didn't come here just because it was my duty to the Mayor," I told her. "I came because I consider Tyler a close friend."

She looked a little surprised. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were so close," she told me.

"He needs someone here to support him," I told her. "And I'll try to be here if he wants to talk. After all, I understand what he's going through."

Carol smiled at me, tears still in her eyes. "Thank you, Stephanie," she said again before embracing me again. She then excused herself and went to speak with some other people. I looked around, spotting my Aunt standing with Damon, discussing something. Shaking my head, I looked away and walked toward the living room.

"Hey, Steph!"

I groaned to myself but didn't turn around.

"I need to talk to you," Damon continued, taking my hand, but I tore it from his grasp.

"Well I don't want to talk to _you_," I said, anger in every word I spoke.

"Come on, you can't be mad at me forever," he groaned. "I'm sure Elena told you that it wasn't her that I kissed-"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, Damon?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. I was standing with my arms crossed over my chest and still at a secure distance from him. "Do you want me to forgive you because you didn't kiss my friend? No, because instead, you kissed her look-alike thinking it was _her_."

"I know I hurt you-"

"You know _nothing_," I nearly snarled, taking a step toward him. "Everything that we had, friendship or whatever, is gone. You betrayed me when I stood by you. I've _always_ stood by you, but now, I won't anymore." I turned around to walk away again, but he stopped me again.

"Steffy," he tried. "I'm sorry, okay? But you really need to put your anger to the side for a moment because what I have to tell you is really, really important," he said.

"What?" I snapped. "Tell me and then leave me the hell alone."

"First of all, I wanted to ask how Caroline is doing," he told me.

"She's better, what else?" I asked, raising an eyebrow again. He was clearly trying to get on my good side by asking about Caroline.

"You're welcome about that, by the way," he said and I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I just talked to your aunt about Mayor Lockwood's death, and it turns out that the device affected him too, which caused the deputies to think he was a vampire too."

I replied with a grunt, still having my arms crossed. It wasn't exactly unexpected, since I had thought of the possibility that it had affected Tyler as well, causing their accident.

"Are you going to say anything?" Damon asked, but I just glared at him. "Okay then," he whistled. "I guess that was...all."

I began walking away again, but he stood in my way. "Move," I told him, but he stayed put.

"Look, Steffy," he began. "I know I screwed up, but I really, truly- and I don't say this a lot- am sorry about what I did and how I hurt you."

I looked at him for a little while, before finally pushing past him and walking away from him.

Walking toward Elena, who had apparently arrived without me noticing, I bumped into someone else.

"Oh, sorry," I said, looking at the stranger. He was quite good looking, but also a bit older than me. He was a little tan, with bright blue eyes and brown tousled hair. His body was well build and for a second, I found myself imagining what he looked like without his shirt on. Smacking myself mentally for being so shallow, I offered him a smile smile and my hand. "I'm Steffy," I said, introducing myself.

"Mason," he said, grinning back at me. "Mason Lockwood."

"Lockwood?" I asked. "You're Tyler's...?"

"Uncle," Mason replied. "On his dad's side."

"Oh, I'm sorry about your brother," I told Mason. "I didn't even know Mayor Lockwood had a brother, and I've spent a lot of time studying the Founding Families."

"Well, I'm more of a black sheep, so I get that they don't talk about me," Mason said. "Why would you waste time with the Founding Families?" he asked curiously.

"I'm a Blake," I told him, "but I just moved here recently, like six months ago? To keep a long story short, I wanted to know more about my own family so I kind of researched everything and got in a little too deep." It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't a complete lie either. I looked past Mason, to Elena who was still standing alone and smiled back at Mason. "Sorry Mason, I really need to talk to my friend about something," I told him. "But it was nice meeting you."

"You too," he grinned at me. "Wish it had been under other circumstances though," he told me. "Maybe I'll see you around?" he asked. Was that an invitation to spend time with him?

I found myself smiling back at him. "Yeah, sure," I nodded before walking off. I could feel him still looking after me, but the good feeling I had drifted away quickly as I walked up to Elena, who started looking twitchy.

"Good God, Elena," I groaned, leaning against the wall next to her. "Damon is driving me crazy trying to talk to me and I don't know how to nicely say that he should go and screw himself."

"I'm sure he'll stop eventually," Elena said sympathetically, but she seemed a little distracted.

"Are you okay, Elena?" I asked and she nodded, smiling at me weakly.

"Of course I am," she scoffed. "Why wouldn't I be?" She looked away from me again and I realized she was avoiding looking me in the eyes. "I really need to go find Bonnie. I have to talk to her about something," she said before walking off, not even saying good-bye.

In my gut, I felt something strange as she walked past me. Why was she lying to me? Something was definitively off about her. I turned, looking out the window again, only to see Jenna, Jeremy and _Elena_, wearing a whole new set of clothes approaching the Lockwood mansion.

"Katherine," I realized, turning around. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the others found out that Katherine was here, and considering she had been invited in, I knew it was probably dangerous to stay here. Picking up my phone, I dialed Elena's number and told her what I had discovered and she told me that Stefan had already seen Katherine and stopped her from attacking Bonnie. Apparently, he was with Katherine at the moment, so they had it under control. Elena did however sound very worried, which I completely understood. She also felt the need to tell me that she was with Damon, so that she was safe, and quite honestly, I couldn't care less if she was with Damon or not...as long as she _was _safe. If he was the only one that was "available" at the moment, it was better she stayed with him, especially considering that I could protect myself just fine. Nevertheless, I figured it would be best if I met up with them to see if they had a plan regarding Katherine. Elena had told me how Damon had simply suggested they all moved out of Mystic Falls, and honestly, at the moment I felt like that would be a very good option, at least for me and my family. Caroline was in the hospital because of everything that was going on in this secret world of Mystic Falls, and she would never be able to protect herself if she didn't know what was really out there. Of course, my Aunt Liz knows what's out there, but that also makes her an easy target. Another problem would of course be if they found out that I was a witch. How would they even react to something like that? Caroline would probably brush it all off as a joke, like she had done with Bonnie, but my Aunt would probably not be so welcoming... or at least that's what I think at the moment. Moving out of Mystic Falls, or at least trying to stay out of everything that is supernatural, would be a great start to try and protect my family... But that wasn't the issue right now.

I walked out of the mansion and spotted Elena and Damon. They were talking and both of them were looking kind of annoyed at each other. When I walked up to them, I managed to hear some words that Elena spoke.

"Just admit it, Damon," Elena told him. They didn't notice me yet. "You're mad at yourself because you hurt Steffy, and you hate that."

"I don't get hurt, Elena," Damon snapped.

"No, Damon, you just don't admit that you get hurt," she reasoned. "You get angry and cover it up and then you do something reckless and stupid to cover up the fact that you're hurt. Admitting to yourself that you actually care about Steffy won't make it harder for you. Honestly, it'll probably just make it easier for you to get back on the right track."

I stopped and turned around, walking away before they spotted me. No, I didn't need to hear Elena telling Damon to admit that he cared about me, when he obviously didn't. Okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly one hundred percent true, because I know that deep down he _does_ care about me... The only problem is that the hurt has cut way too deep to just forget and forgive this time.

Trying to think of something else, I decided to find Jeremy, so that I could keep an eye on him in case Katherine got away from Stefan. I never expected to find him and Tyler together in Mayor Lockwood's office; drinking.

"Steffy," Jeremy acknowledged with a nod. "Why don't you join us?" he asked, raising the flask he and Tyler were apparently sharing.

"Sorry," I said, "I don't drink, but I can always just sit here and keep an eye on the two of you so that you don't start punching each other."

Tyler snorted, looking at me from the other side of the table as I joined Jeremy on the couch. "What are you doing here, Steffy?" he asked, taking the flask from Jeremy.

Biting my lip, I shrugged. "I guess I'm just drawn to messed up people," I grinned lightly.

Tyler rolled his eyes, but a small smile appeared on his lips anyway.

After sitting in silence for a while, Jeremy finally decided to speak. "I remember when my dad died," he said as Tyler sat down on the armchair in front of us. "I had a house full of strangers telling me what a great guy he was." Tyler looked at him as if to tell him to get to the point. "Anyway, I know how hard all this is."

"The difference is that in your case it was true," Tyler said. "My dad was a dick."

Jeremy stayed quiet and I decided to put in a word. "Yeah, yeah he was," I agreed. "But that doesn't mean it hurts any less."

The two of them looked at me curiously as I continued. "I never knew my Dad since he died when I was just a baby, but when my Mom died earlier this year..." I trailed off, thinking back at the phone call I had received in school. "Let's just say that I put up all these walls and didn't allow myself to mourn properly." Once again, I bit my lip, even drawing blood as the pain in my heart got sharper. Remembering how I hadn't mourned properly because my emotions were on witch-lock down didn't exactly make me feel any better about it all.

"They called me when I was in school and told me that she had been walking home from the grocery store when a drunk driver hit her. The store was just a block away from our house," I said, telling my story for the first time ever. "My Mom and I had had a fight earlier that day... I don't remember what it was, but it was probably something stupid. Now, when I think back, there are probably a million things that I would have wanted to tell her, but now I can't." I looked up at Tyler, who was looking at me intently. Jeremy put his hand over mine on the couch. I knew he was still probably mad at me for keeping the vampire-thing secret, but at least he wasn't so mad that he would ignore me now. Or maybe he was a little affected by the alcohol?

"Yes, Tyler," I said. "Your dad was a dick, and I have to admit that I've wanted to punch him a couple of times myself, but at least he loved you." From what Caroline had told me, it had been Tyler's dad who told her, Matt and Tyler to get out from the Grill and go home. He had practically begged Tyler to go, which meant that in the end, he had still cared enough about his son to tell him to get to safety, not matter how mean he might have been to him before. That was something that Tyler should know, but I couldn't tell him every detail of it. Ending my speech there, the room filled with silence again, until my phone broke it by ringing.

"Hello?" I answered, only to hear Elena's frantic voice on the other line.

"_Steffy, meet us in the garden! Katherine hurt Stefan!_" she said and before I had a chance to say anything else, she described where they were and hung up on me. Groaning, I stood up and told Tyler and Jeremy that I had to go. For some reason, Tyler walked me to the door and stood there for a moment, looking at me. He surprised me when he began leaning in, closing his eyes in the process. I panicked and moved my head to the side, causing him to kiss my cheek.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice shaking slightly. What was he doing? Why did he want to kiss me suddenly?

"No... I..." he trailed off, sounding embarrassed. "I just wanted to thank you for being here, when you really don't need to."

I smiled weakly at him and took a step closer, kissing his cheek as well. "I'll be here for you, as a friend. If you need me," I told him and he nodded. Still a little confused, I turned around and walked away, leaving him and Jeremy alone again.

-Deffy-

When I finally located Stefan and Elena, I saw that Damon was also with them. Smacking myself mentally for thinking that he wouldn't be there, I decided to simply ignore him, even though he was pretty obviously trying to get my attention by standing close to me and glancing at me every now and again.

"I tried to track Katherine, but she's gone," Damon told us. Stefan lifted his shirt to check if his wound was healing and Damon tried covering my eyes, telling Stefan to cover up, but I slapped his hand away and glared at him. Who the Hell did he think he was? Ignoring my reaction, Damon turned to Elena. "You better watch out because it looks like Katherine is trying to steal your guy."

"That's not what's happening," Stefan said, trying to sound reassuring, but Elena didn't look completely convinced. "Katherine is obviously trying to play us against each other."

"Why? Because she tricked Damon into thinking he was kissing your girlfriend?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "I had no idea that _that_ was her master plan."

"Are you jealous?" Damon asked, obviously trying to annoy me.

"Shut up, Damon," Stefan sighed, wincing as Elena touched his wound again.

"You know, I'll go check on Jeremy and Jenna," Elena said, standing up as she felt the tension grow between the two brothers. "Let me know when you guys are done."

She walked away and Stefan turned back to Damon. "You need to get a grip on yourself," Stefan told him.

"I'm sorry Brother, but last time I checked, I was fully in control of myself," Damon pointed out, but Stefan stood from the bench he was sitting on and walked closer to Damon.

"Apparently, you haven't, considering that you're still trying to hurt Steffy with every word you say," Stefan pointed out. "Why are you so hellbent on ruining the _one _person that actually cared about you?" Damon didn't speak, but he was glaring at his brother, annoyed. The two of them were obviously pretending that I wasn't there. Or rather, Stefan was, since he was talking openly, while Damon didn't comment on the matter.

"Steffy was _always_ there for you," Stefan continued, "but when I got you out of that fire, she just didn't stay behind because she already knew that you would be safe. Instead, she went to check on Jeremy and her aunt. She had been ready to run into that burning building for _you_ and _still_ you doubt her friendship. You hurt her and now I'm telling you that enough is enough."

Damon rolled his eyes, turning to look at me. "Did you put him up to this? Are you too proud to actually say all of this yourself?"

"No, Damon," Stefan said before I could answer. "This is all me. _I'm _telling you to stay away from Steffy, because all you do is hurt her."

I was thankful for Stefan's support in all of this, but that didn't mean that I couldn't tell Damon all of this myself. Yet, I decided to let him vent against his brother.

"I was never trying to _hurt _Steffy," Damon growled, taking a step toward Stefan.

"Yes you were," Stefan said. "You were hurt, thinking that the one person who actually cares about you had left you, so you decided to hurt her by kissing her best friend. It was a pathetic move and I'm telling you that you will never hurt her like this again. I will not allow it," he finished as I decided to step in.

"Listen to me," I said, trying to change the subject back to the original problem. "This is what Katherine wants," I reminded them. "She wants the two of you fighting and I'm telling you to stop now." I turned to Stefan and gave him a small smile. "Thank you for protecting me, Stefan," I said, walking to stand beside him as I faced Damon. "But I won't be needing your help anymore because I want out."

My statement hung in the air for a moment before Damon finally spoke. "What?" he asked, confused. "What do you mean with 'out'?"

"I want nothing to do with Katherine, vampires or the supernatural anymore," I clarified.

"Well that's stupid," Damon scoffed, while Stefan looked at me understandably.

"I don't want Caroline involved in all this," I said. "If I'm involved in all of this, it's only a matter if time before she gets wrapped up in everything and she's already gotten hurt enough! I can't protect her if I'm always running around with you guys, so I want _out_."

"You're a _witch_, Steph," Damon argued. "You're always going to be involved, whether you want it or not."

"At least I can try to stay out of it. I'll protect Caroline and I'll keep an eye out for Katherine, but I want nothing to do with _your_ problems, Damon," I told him. He kept glaring at me, but I ignored him, turning to Stefan, who simply nodded.

"I understand that you need to put Caroline first," he said.

"I'm glad that at least one of you understands," I said as I started walking back to the mansion. Damon grabbed my wrist before I could walk away though, and instantly, currents went through me. "You're a part of _this_," he said, his voice low and menacing. For some reason, it felt as if he was trying to tell me something else entirely, but I chose to ignore it, pulling my hand from his grip, walking away again, this time, leaving them all behind.

-Deffy-

Elena pulled up by her house and I stared at it awkwardly before taking my duffel bag with me as I exited the car. My Aunt had told me that I could sleep over at Elena's because Caroline was still in the hospital and she had a lot of paperwork to fill out concerning Founder's Day. Standing in front of the house where I had seen Damon kiss Katherine, stung a lot more than I would care to admit. I don't think the hurt will ever really go away. I had never expected to feel this strongly about something or someone...

Jenna was surprised by the fact that I had agreed to sleep at the Gilbert house because of what we had both witnessed two nights ago. I lied about it and told her that it hadn't been Elena's fault, because Damon had been the one to kiss her, and reluctantly she had accepted it.

"I'll go downstairs and get us some hot chocolate while you get dressed," Elena told me as she walked out of her bedroom. The two of us would share her bed tonight since Jenna hadn't had time to change the sheets in the guest bedroom and she left the two of us alone as she drove off to buy something.

I walked into the bathroom and changed into my shorts and tank top before letting my hair out. There was no point in brushing my teeth yet if Elena and I would just be drinking hot chocolate later anyway. Walking back out in Elena's room, I jumped seeing Damon sitting on Elena's bed.

"What the Hell?" I asked, putting a hand to my chest, calming my heart beat. "You scared the shit out of me." I took in his appearance, noticing his disheveled clothing. "What are you doing here?"

"Just doing my part in the neighborhood watch," he said glumly.

"Are you expecting me to thank you or something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not really," he shrugged. "But no matter how much you don't want to talk to me, you can still consider me your trusty bodyguard. Calm in crisis."

A move he made with his arm, almost as if imitating Superman, caused me to raise an eyebrow. "Have you been drinking?" I asked him and he held up his forefinger and thumb, keeping them apart at a small distance, indicating that he had been drinking, at least a little. "What are you doing here, Damon?" I groaned. "You're obviously upset and combined with drinking-"

"I kissed Katherine," he said suddenly, interrupting me.

I blinked a couple of times. "I know," I told him. "That's what got you into this mess with me to begin with."

"No, no, no," he said, shaking his head frantically. "Katherine came over, at the Boarding House," he explained. "And I kissed her again. And I told her that I was willing to start over, if she just told me that she loved me." My chest tightened at his words and I felt my hands go numb for a moment. "She told me she never loved me," he continued. "Which caused the drinking."

"What are you doing _here_ then, Damon?" I asked. "Did you know I was here, or did you come to see Elena?"

"I listened and waited until Elena left the room," he admitted shamelessly. "I wanted to talk to you alone."

"To tell me that you kissed Katherine, _again_?" Once again, my heart clenched in my chest. "Haven't you hurt me enough, Damon?"

He rose from the bed and took a step toward me. "I _wanted _to hurt you," he told me. "I wanted you to feel the betrayal I felt when I saw that you were nowhere to be seen after Stefan got me out of that fire." Once again, he took a few steps forward, and I backed away a little. "But that doesn't mean that I don't care about you."

"If you cared, you wouldn't have done what you did," I argued.

"I regret what I did, damn it," Damon growled, raising his voice a little, taking yet another step toward me. "But you're the liar here, Steffy," he told me. "First you try to act as if you don't care, but you _do_. You care so _damn _much that you don't know what to do without me!" he exclaimed.

"I don't need you to _breathe_, Damon," I hissed at him.

His eyes darkened slightly. "_Liar_," he snarled, stepping closer, yet again. "You know that there is something between us. Something that you can't explain, but something so addictive that it _hurts_ to be apart." An alarm set off in my head as he spoke the words that described the feeling inside me every time I wasn't close to him.

"No, Damon," I tried. "That isn't true."

"You're _lying _again, Steffy," he said, stepping toward me again. "You're lying to me, Stefan and everyone else, but mostly yourself, and you know it."

"No," I said, this time more determinedly. He cupped my cheeks suddenly. It wasn't soft and I stared at him.

"Lie about this then," he said as he began leaning in. I struggled against him

"Stop, Damon," I tried, but he kept leaning in. "No, no, _no_! Damon let go of me!" I struggled. If my emotions hadn't been all over the place, I might have been able to push him away with my magic, but I couldn't. The confusion was blurring my senses, but I kept physically pushing him away.

"You care about me," he growled. "You might even _love _me."

"No, I don't," I denied. "I'm sorry, Damon, but I _don't_ love you!" At my words, his eyes darkened even more, just as Elena's door opened and Jeremy peeked in.

"Steph? What's going on in here?" he asked, looking at me and Damon. I pulled myself from Damon's grip and turned to Jeremy.

"It's okay, Jeremy," I said, feeling that he should get out. "Just go back to bed."

"No," Damon suddenly said, looking at me. "It's not okay." He looked over at Jeremy and then back at me. "He wants to be a vampire," Damon stated and I recalled the conversation Elena and I had had in the car as we drove here. She had told me about Jeremy trying to turn himself with Anna's blood.

Suddenly, Damon rushed at Jeremy and pushed him against the wall, choking him. "No, Damon! Stop!" I yelled.

"You want to shut out the pain?" Damon asked Jeremy, ignoring me completely. "It's the easiest thing in the world. The part of you that cares just goes away! All you have to do is flip the switch and _snap_!" The snap that followed his words sent chills through my spine as I watched Jeremy fall to the floor, dead.

"No!" I yelled, at the same time as someone else. I watched as Elena rushed through the open door, the cups of hot chocolate spilling over the floor where she dropped them as she cried over her brother. I ran to the two of them and cradled Jeremy's head in my head, which was in an odd angle. Sobbing, I turned around to glare at Damon, who was staring at me, Elena and the dead boy between us.

"Congratulations, Damon," I cried, tears running freely down my cheeks. "You have just given me another reason to hate you." With those last words, Damon turned around and left, leaving me and Elena crying messes on the floor. I grabbed Jeremy's hand and laced our fingers as my tears fell on his face. Feeling something cold against my fingers, I turned his hand around, seeing a big ring on one of his fingers.

"Elena look," I sobbed, finally calming down a bit. "He's wearing John's ring," I pointed out. "He'll be okay! He'll wake up again!" I smiled through my tears as Elena clasped my hand that was still holding onto Jeremy's.

It took a while until Jeremy woke up, and by that time I had called Stefan and informed him what had happened to Jeremy. He came by to check on him, just in case the vampire blood had still been in his system, which it thankfully hadn't been. The ring had brought Jeremy back, human and healthy as a horse. That, however, didn't mean that I would forget the way I had heard his neck snap. As I laid in bed next to Elena that night, I stared up at the ceiling, not able to sleep. I couldn't get the image of Damon snapping Jeremy's neck out of my mind. What I had yelled at him before he left was true; I did hate him. However, that didn't mean that what he had said earlier wasn't true either. There was something unexplainable between me and Damon. The fact that he had hurt me immensely, didn't change that, but it didn't mean that I would forgive him for what he had done. Honestly, as I laid there awake, it felt as if I would never be able to forgive him for it...

* * *

**_A/N: What did you guys think? ;) It broke my heart writing that last scene with Damon and Steffy! But it had to be done! _**

**_What did you think of the chapter in general? Is it a good start to the second season? Also, what do you think of Tyler and Steffy...? Obviously, they are just going to become friends (becasue of Forwood later in the season), but maybe Steffy will use this to her advantage and try to get over Damon?_**

**_If you want to see Steffy's outfit, check it out by visiting my tumblr and clicking on the link! ;)_**

**_Please review peeps! Reviews equel love!_**

**_xoxo_**

**_Spicy_**


End file.
